To Be Lost and Found
by emmiet
Summary: AU ZA - The group is struggling to survive after losing the farm when a group invites them inside their walls. Things are not what they seem, especially once the group is broken apart and given an ultimatum.
1. Prologue

_Would we have done things differently if we had known what would happen? When we lost the farm, we thought we had lost it all, and for a time, we even thought we had lost each other. Everyone was drifting apart even though we were always together. We did everything together; we ate, hunted, cleared houses, even went to the bathroom together in the trees. But we were all alone, each of us._

 _Rick was suffering the most, overtaken by guilt about Shane, hurting over what Lori had done, worrying for Carl and for the rest of us. Lori didn't know how to feel, between Rick and Shane and the baby coming she seemed like a walking ghost. Daddy was coming to grips with the loss of his life as he'd known it, readjusting to this dark new world. Maggie and Glen were wrapped up in each other while trying to keep on surviving. Carol was quiet, she felt like she just kept losing the people around her. T-Dog always seemed eager to keep moving, keep fighting for us and for himself. Carl pulled further into himself, trying to straddle the line between being a kid and a grownup. Daryl was strong, stoic; but I could tell he wanted nothing more than to keep everyone alive. And me? No one knew what to do with me. I was fed, the group made sure of that; I was protected, Daddy and Maggie barely let me out of their sight. I felt gone though, there was nothing driving me other than the bleak thoughts of surviving another day in this deep dark future._

 _One foot in front of the other was all we could do. When they found us, we were just a shell of the group we had been all those months ago on the farm. We had no light, no hope, just the drive to keep each other alive for one more day._

 _If we had known then what we know now, would we have still made the same choices? Some days my answer is different than others. Some days I wish I had died when I hurt myself, other days I know that my place is with the people beside me, my family. I will carry on fighting to protect them no matter what. The wolves dressed in sheep's clothing are stalking us though, and they're just as scary as the wolves dressed as death outside these walls._

 _We need to get out._


	2. I Spent It In Good Company

The flames shot out from the barn and started to engulf the farmhouse. The panic began to engulf the group as they rushed to grab what they could and get to the motley assortment of vehicles that littered the front yard. Patricia was lost in the panic, getting taken down by a walker as she tried to escape the madness. Jimmy had been killed in the RV. Rick had returned without Shane before the herd arrived.

Once away from the farm the group huddled together on the road and Rick admitted to killing Shane. But the bigger bombshell was the knowledge that everyone was infected with the disease that had taken over the world.

Days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months as the group scavenged homes that had been abandoned and worked their way through the woods to keep ahead of the herd. Everyone came into their own while drifting away from the people they had been when they had been at the farm. Survival was paramount, and keeping a group of their size fed was difficult. Assisting Lori through her difficult pregnancy weighed heavily on their minds every time they found a spare can of forgotten food. They all lost weight as they struggled to keep moving forward, stress and exhaustion taking its toll on all of them.

Then everything changed.

They had gone to sleep around a dwindling fire, everyone pressed against one another for warmth. The winter had been harsh and their clothes had become threadbare from the constant movement. Daryl and Beth sat across from each other, occasionally eying one another through the smoke of the fire.

"You can rest Daryl, I have watch tonight," she whispered when she caught his eyes roaming the trees around them.

He grunted in response and pulled his vest and jacket tighter around him to stave off the chill. Beth rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. She knew that he didn't trust her to keep watch on her own. She tried not to take it personally, Daryl stayed awake most nights.

Beth heard a twig snap in the woods behind her and she stood quickly, gripping her knife and scanning the tree line for movement. She turned her head to glance at Daryl, he had stood at hearing the sound as well and was gripping his bow, keeping it at the ready. Another twig snapped, this time coming from Beth's right and she whirled towards the sound. Then they heard leaves brush along the forest ground to their left. Beth felt her breath pick up and bent down to shake her father without taking her eyes off the trees. Daryl touched Rick's shoulder and began to stomp out the fire. The group quietly began to stand, gathering their belongings and help one another ready themselves to move quickly.

Men slowly emerged from the woods. Ten, by Beth's count. Ten live men with automatic weapons. Daryl brought his bow up and aimed it at the one closest to him; Lori pulled Carl behind her; T-Dog, Herschel, and Glen moved in front of Beth and Carol; Rick and Maggie faded to the back of the group to fill in the gaps of the circle.

"Darylina?" a coarse voice called out from the darkness.

"Merle?" Daryl replied, only lowering his weapon slightly so he could squint through the dying light.

"Oh shit man! Jesus I didn't know we was trackin you boy!" Merle whooped as he moved forward and clapped Daryl on the shoulder. He took a moment to look around the group and laughed loudly as he laid his eyes on Rick. "Officer Friendly! Well I'll be goddamned."

"Merle," Rick acknowledged with a slight nod.

"And you! How the fuck you alive T-Dog?" Merle asked, smirking as the words left his mouth.

"Oh you know, surviving you fucking hilbilly," T-Dog spat back at him.

The rest of Merle's group silently observed the interactions but didn't lower their weapons. One man stepped forward and dropped his weapon to his side.

"Is this all of you?" he asked, gesturing to the bedraggled group.

"Why?" Herschel asked, he glanced at Daryl and arched an eyebrow in question. Daryl shook his head slightly in response, letting him know that he didn't know these men.

"We got a community, it has walls. We were out scouting for supplies and survivors, came on your trail. If you want to come back with us, we can give you a place to sleep and a hot meal."

Rick moved forward and Glen stepped back to stand next to Maggie, maintaining their defensive circle.

"Why should we trust you?" he asked, his voice was harsh with thirst, but Beth had to admit he still carried the air of leadership that had helped them survive thus far.

The man shrugged. "You don't. But I can see you're tired. And from your tracks it looks like you all have been moving hard for a long time. I can also see that you have a pregnant lady and a kid there, women too. This world doesn't really make time for beggars to be choosers."

Rick sighed. He knew he sounded beaten. Herschel, Glen, and T-Dog pivoted towards him, leaning their heads together. Beth couldn't hear what was said, but Daryl had lowered his bow and when she saw Rick turn to look hard at Lori and Carl, she knew what the answer would be.

"Fine," Rick stated. "We'll go. If we want to leave though, we leave."

"No one's forcing you," the man replied, holding his hands up in surrender. Beth noted that the gesture lost its placating effect with the automatic weapon still resting on the man's hand.

The group gathered their belongings and moved to follow the men through the dark woods. Everyone seemed to stay on their guard, Beth's group keeping each other close. They stayed within arm's length of one another and cut glances across the distance every few seconds. Trust had not gotten them this far, and they were all keen to remember that.

When the man had offered to stop and let their group sleep, every one of them refused. The idea of letting strangers with guns watch over them while they slept was almost as scary to Beth as facing a herd of walkers. Merle asked occasional questions of Daryl, to most of which he simply grunted answers.

Eventually the forest thinned and they came to a road. Merle didn't seem to be able to stay quiet, and mockingly began to ask Rick questions as well. His responses were similar to Daryl's, as their group continued to sweep their surroundings for walkers or some type of trap that they may be led into.

When the walls came into view, Beth's group stopped. They took in the imposing fortress and glanced questioningly at one another.

"Fuck me," T-Dog mumbled.

Beth didn't know what to think of this place. The walls and guns were reassuring, but after months of sleeping outside, it felt almost like a cage. She cut her eyes to Daryl who was at her left. He was chewing on his thumbnail and looked over at her when he felt her stare on him. He shrugged and she returned the gesture.

A gate suddenly opened, disturbing everyone's train of thought. Beth's group all responded instinctually to the loud noise, pulling guns and knives and ready to attack. A lone man ambled through the gate, a charming smile lighting up his face as he got closer to them. Beth saw him take in the sight of each member of her group, flicking his eyes quickly from one person to another. He stopped about ten feet away from Rick who remained in front of his group and lifted both arms in a gesture that anyone would have to call hospitable.

"Hello there. My name is Phillip, welcome to Woodbury."


	3. Keep Careful Watch Of My Brothers Soul

Beth's group stood out like a sore thumb against the bright and cheery backdrop of Woodbury. She felt almost self-conscious of their appearance as she took in her own shredded jeans and filthy shirt. He hair hung in ropey clumps down her back and her skin was covered in a layer of grime that she hadn't noticed until this moment. She saw every other member of her group shifting their own gazes between themselves and their surroundings.

Philip moved around the edge of their group as the gate closed loudly behind them, sealing them into the community. He stopped as he reached the front of them and turned towards them, firmly placing himself between them and the townspeople milling around behind him.

"Let's get you all cleaned up," he stated cheerfully. He gestured to a building to his right, "There are some showers in a locker room through there. When you're done, we'll get you all checked out with the doctor we have here and then we can get some decent food in you." Beth noticed that he never dropped his smile.

Rick nodded, "Thank you." He grasped Lori's hand and slowly walked towards the building that Philip had motioned to. The group shuffled behind them, still shooting furtive glances around. Herschel brought up the rear of the group and stopped when he was even with Philip.

"I appreciate you helping us," he said softly and reached his hand out to Philip.

Philip took his hand and shook it enthusiastically. "My pleasure, all my pleasure sir."

Beth gasped as the hot water hit her body. She could hear the other women of the group responding in kind, god only knew how long it had been since any of them had felt clean. She reveled in the fact that she could use real shampoo and conditioner on her hair and smiled when she could see the dirt swirling around the white tile and down the drain.

Each of the women finished their showers and took turns brushing out their hair with the hairbrush that had been left for them. It hurt, lord did it hurt, but it was worth it to feel just a little more human again. Medical gowns had been left for them, and while it struck Beth as odd, she guess it made sense since Philip had told them they'd be examined by a doctor.

Maggie took her hand as they were ushered down a hallway to what looked like a makeshift emergency room. A clean young woman in scrubs instructed them to each take a bed, and drew a privacy screen around each of them. Beth tried to relax, but after so many months of being with her group for every second of every day, even separation by the thin piece of fabric was jarring. She instructed herself to take deep breaths to calm herself as she heard nurses or doctors enter to see the other women in the room with her.

A middle-aged woman pulled her screen aside and greeted her with a big smile. "Hi there, I'm June, one of the doctors here at Woodbury. I'm going to do your physical exam, just to make sure you're alright."

Beth nodded and forced a small smile on her face in response. "I'm Beth," she stated quietly.

The doctor nodded and brought up a clipboard and pen. "Full name, dear," she prompted.

"Oh, Elizabeth Hope Greene."

"When's your birthday hun?"

"I'm seventeen. My birthday is December 10th."

"Well dear I think that makes you eighteen now. We can't be sure, but we think its probably February or March."

"Oh..." Beth couldn't believe she'd missed her birthday, her parents had always made such a big deal about it. Surviving is more important, she chastised herself.

The doctor continued to scribble down information that Beth gave her. No medications, no allergies, had her wisdom teeth out early, etc. etc. Beth's head shot up with the doctor's next question though.

"Last period?"

Beth scrunched up her nose at the personal question. Her face stayed scrunched up when she realized she couldn't remember. "Its been a while. I used to be regular enough, but not in a while."

"That's not uncommon dear, especially with how thin you are right now. Stress will do that. Have you ever had sex?"

"Why is that important?"

"Just wanting to rule out pregnancy as a reason for the missed periods." Beth noticed that the doctor never seemed to stop writing on the damn clipboard.

Beth sighed as she quietly answered the doctor's question, "No m'am."

"Ok then dear, scoot down, I have to do an internal exam." She put down the clipboard and drew on a pair of latex gloves.

"I just told you I hadn't, why do you need to do that?" Beth could feel the blush creep across her face.

"Well dear, I just want to make sure nothing was damaged down there while y'all were running around in the wild. You do want to know if you can have children right?"

Beth shrugged and moved down the table towards the doctor. As she leaned back she thought about the doctor's question, did she want children? Before she had, but now? Now they were all so worried. She hadn't seen Lori smile in months, and although Rick was still upset about Shane, she knew that part of his worry was about Lori's safety when it was time for Lori to have the baby.

The exam ended and June brought in a set of clothes that were a little too big for Beth, but they were clean. Once Beth slipped them on she emerged from her makeshift hospital room and the women followed another smiling woman down a hallway to a small kitchen with two long cafeteria tables with benches. Someone had made them soup and sandwiches while they had been absent. The men had already returned from their exams and had started eating, unable to wait with the temptation of food sitting in front of them.

Beth couldn't believe how different everyone looked after a shower and clean clothes. Even Daryl cleaned up nice, she found herself laughing to herself at that realization. She settled in next to her dad and Carl, slowly working through the food that had been placed in front of her.

"Go slow Bethy," her father cautioned. "Don't wanna get sick because you rushed it."

Philip came in as they all were beginning a second serving of their food. "We haven't been able to set up quarters for you just yet, so if you don't mind crashing in here tonight, we'll get some cots and sleeping bags set up for you. Its not ideal, and I hate to give you a bad impression of us, we just haven't had a group as large as yours come through in a while. It should all be settled by tomorrow night though."

Rick nodded and thanked the man, looking for any double meaning in his words but finding none.

"Lori, what'd the doctor say about the baby?" Herschel called down the length of the table.

Lori actually smiled slightly and ran her hand across her abdomen. "Said it should be fine. Felt it kickin, felt it movin, gave me some prenatal vitamins."

Rick squeezed her shoulder and met her eyes. "Good. We need you to be healthy here."

She nodded in response and dropped her gaze back to her food.

The afternoon faded into night and the group was moved once again to a gymnasium that had been set up like a dormitory. Everyone took a cot, but no one seemed able to settle down. Beth noticed that she wasn't the only one sitting up in her cot and looking around the space. She saw Daryl walking the perimeter of the room, checking the doors and windows. He looked almost incomplete without his bow. She realized suddenly that she didn't have her knife. All of them were without their weapons. They must have been taken with their dirty clothes while they were all showering, she tried to quickly assure herself.

The lights in all the buildings in Woodbury turned off when the clock on the wall struck 10pm. Beth sighed and lay down in her cot, willing herself to shake off her nerves and go to sleep. We have to make this work, she thought to herself. For everyone.


	4. Just Like a Bullet Leaves a Gun

Beth awoke the next morning with a start. It was bright and warm in the gymnasium where they had slept overnight. She lay still on her cot, taking in the feelings of waking up inside; this place that had been deemed safe felt so different from the woods they had been traveling for months. She had a blanket, she couldn't smell the smoke of a dying fire, she wasn't shivering; but the fear that she felt every morning was still there. She still felt compelled to check her surroundings, she still didn't know what was out there.

As she sat up on the cot, she saw that the other members of her group were mostly still asleep. Daryl and Rick were sitting on the floor against the wall, talking quietly as their eyes shifted around the room. Maggie and Glenn had pushed their cots together and were still curled up in sleep. Her father was softly snoring, and she smiled to herself knowing that he must be relaxed if he was actually that deeply asleep.

Beth let herself flop back down in her cot; she knew that if there was anything to be afraid of right now, Rick and Daryl wouldn't be sitting on the floor. Allowing herself to drift back into a comfortable haze of sleep, she let the warmth of her blanket seep into her skin, wrapping her in a brief feeling for safety.

Phillip strode into the makeshift dormitory as everyone was folding the blankets on their respective cots. He walked to the middle of the group, and Beth caught his quick glance at the beds that had been pushed together by Maggie and Glenn. His face lit up with that same smile from the previous day, and Beth tried to return it with her own when he made eye contact with her as he greeted everyone in their group individually.

"How did everyone sleep?" His loud voice seemed almost captivating to Beth. She could tell that this man had the ability to inspire loyalty and a feeling of community to the people in this town; Beth wanted to feel that too, but she knew that her loyalty was already claimed by her own group.

Rick had swiftly joined the group from his perch on the floor as soon as Phillip had entered the room. He stood the closest to Phillip, letting his body language communicate that he was the leader of his own group.

"I think we all slept better than we have in a long time," he answered, adding a humble nod to the statement. "Thank you, truly."

"Happy to help!" Phillip replied jovially."Have you thought more about staying here in Woodbury?"

Beth felt her breath catch and she looked to Rick to take in his reaction. She knew that he was worried about Lori and Carl, how could he not be? But this town, this leader felt so far removed from the world they had just left on the other side of the walls. Beth worried that it may be too much of a change for some of the members of the group. She wanted to be safe though. She wanted her father to be able to sleep soundly at night; she wanted Lori to have a safe pregnancy; she wanted Carl to have the chance to be a teenager the way she had been before the world fell apart.

She saw her father give Rick an encouraging half smile. Rick turned to his other side and looked at Daryl, who in turned shrugged as if to say it was Rick's call to make. Rick nodded and faced Phillip, "I think so, we'd like to give it a try. We've been runnin for so long, I think we're all a bit worn down."

Phillip clapped his hands together, "Well, as I said yesterday we were able to arrange some living quarters for y'all. They're nothing too fancy, and I apologize for that. Hopefully though they'll be suitable to each of you." He smiled and again made sure to make eye contact with each member of the group. "If y'all don't mind following me, we'll get it all squared away." Phillip turned and led the group towards the doors, throwing another smile over his should at Rick.

They moved cautiously, as they always did. Each member falling into a well-practiced defensive position as they made their way to the polished streets of Woodbury. Lori, Carl, Beth, and Carol made up the inner circle, eyes quickly appraising their surroundings and staying within arm's reach of the outer circle, silently formed by Rick, Glenn, Herschel, Maggie, T-Dog, and Daryl. Beth knew that even without their weapons, this formation would help them to protect each other. If need be, her father or Maggie could reach her in one movement and pull her into a sprint away from danger. This is where she felt safest.

Nothing came for them, nothing was coming for them, Beth realized. It was just a casual walk down the street in Woodbury.

They reached a building that Phillip explained was his residence and office. Beth took the chance to look around the living space, it looked like a comfortable home that the man inhabited alone. She didn't see any sign of a wife or children, though she did catch a quick glance of family portraits decorating the living room. Perhaps Phillip had lost his home and family as well, she thought to herself as she followed along behind Maggie.

Phillip led them to what Beth assumed was his office, and gestured to them all to take a seat on the couches and chairs facing his desk. Beth perched on the edge of a couch cushion beside Maggie, the rest of her family looking as out of place on the extravagant furniture as she felt. Phillip slid into his own chair behind the large ornate desk and fixed his smile in place once again.

"Alright, let's talk about housing," Phillip began as he opened a folder that had been waiting on his desk. "So we've divided everyone as best we could to go along with the rules we have here in place...," he trailed off as footsteps sounded in the hallway.

Five of the armed men from the woods came in along with two of the doctors from the previous day.

"Just in time, come in!" Phillip casually welcomed the new arrivals into the room. They all went to stand in a loose formation behind Phillip, facing the group seated across from them.

Beth and Maggie shared a look and Maggie arched an eyebrow in question.

"Somethin the matter?" Rick asked, narrowing his eyes at the people backing Phillip.

"Not at all, not at all. As I was saying, there are some rules here in Woodbury. They've been put in place to create a safe place for people to raise their families. Outside these walls it simply isn't safe to have babies and children," He paused and looked sympathetically at Lori. "Before I made this place I lost my family. My wife, my daughters, they were taken away from me. A family is hope, and what I want is for Woodbury to be where hope is reborn."

Beth tried to follow along with Phillip's flowery logic. She felt sympathy and sadness for this man that he had lost his wife and children, and she wanted to believe that it had affected this man in a way that he felt the need to protect those left in this world. People were unpredictable though, she had learned that with Shane.

"The solution that we've settled on here in Woodbury has been one of encouragement," Phillip continued. "We encourage families to grow, and we keep this place safe to maintain that goal." He paused for a moment and brought his hand to meet in a peak in front of his mouth. "And for families that have not yet formed or not been lucky enough to make it intact thus far, we like to give that founding relationship a push as well."

No one in the group spoke for a full minute.

"I'm sorry?" Herschel asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"If someone is not part of a couple, we assist in arranging one for them. And then we encourage that family to grow." As he said this, he spread his hands to his sides, as though delivering a proclamation.

Beth felt her stomach drop to her feet.

"The fuck you talkin about?" Daryl burst out.

"We have it down to a very solid system Mr. Dixon, I assure you," Phillip responded. He maintained his smile, but Beth could see the edges of it didn't reach his eyes anymore. "Everyone in this group who is able to have children will be paired with a partner."

"How do you know that about people?" Maggie cut in.

"It was all part of the tests we ran yesterday dear," a doctor replied. Beth recognized June from her exam in the medical ward the previous day. "All part of the standard exam."

Beth felt a numbness spread to the tips of her toes. She had let them check her, for health reasons she had thought. No, for fertility. A wave of nausea overtook her as the realization sunk in.

Phillip continued on without acknowledging the tension that was growing quickly in the room. "We do try to keep the pairings amongst people who already know one another, its just more comfortable that way. Within a six-month period we encourage each pairing to conceive a child. If they don't, the pairing is dissolved and each person is reassigned. This horrible world we live in doesn't encourage family growth, so we take away the horror and the fear so we can foster the family units we all miss from the world before the fall."

"You're insane," Rick stated quietly. The venom in his voice was clear though.

Phillip laughed, but there was no humor in it. He dropped all pretense of a smile as he met Rick's stare head-on, leaning forward across his desk. "I assure you Mr. Grimes, you can leave right now if you do not want the protection that my town has to offer you, your wife, your son, or your unborn child. If you do not want our medical facilities to assist in the birth of your child, the medicine that could save your wife if her labor is difficult, or the food that will fill the empty stomach of your son, you are welcome to walk right out the front gates. My men here will happily escort you out. Otherwise, you and yours will abide by my rules and you will receive every resource we have available and every chance for your children to live a semblance of a normal life."

Rick had dropped his eyes to the ground as Phillip listed off the things that he could provide Rick's family that he knew he could not. He drew in several deep breaths and looked up to meet Lori's eyes. He reached out to touch her stomach and let his hand graze down her swollen abdomen. He looked around at each member of his group, his eyes filled with such pain and sorrow that it took Beth's breath away.

"I'll make the decision for me an' Lori, but I won't presume to make it for y'all. That's on each of you," he stated solemnly. He looked around and met Herschel's gaze. "I can't make that call for ya girls Herschel." He turned to look at Carol, T-Dog, and Daryl, "S' your call, each of you. M'sorry if this breaks us all up." Beth could tell that this decision was tearing Rick apart.

Carol reached out and grasped his hand firmly. "We're a family, all of us." She met Lori's tearful gaze across the room and stated, "I want you to be safe too. I want us to have a fresh start, all of us."

T-Dog nodded in agreement and Daryl grunted from his place at the wall.

Phillip picked up the folder he'd opened on their arrival to his office. "We made the decisions for the pairings based on the interviews and medical exams that each of you had when you arrived. The living arrangements then were then designated by pairings."

Beth met her father's eyes and couple feel tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. This is the only choice, his expression seemed to say to her. We need to be safe, we need to be safe, we need to be safe, Beth repeated in her head over and over. I don't want to die out there, so we need to be safe in here.

"Obviously Mr. and Mrs. Grimes you'll be living with your son. We have an apartment that should work for you. I noticed that the elder Miss Greene and Mr. Rhee were sharing a bed this morning, I gather you two are a couple?" Phillip looked up from his folder. Maggie and Glenn both nodded, their silence betraying their discomfort with what was happening to them.

"Good!" He replied enthusiastically and wrote something down. "Mr. Greene, Ms. Peletier, Mr. Douglas, I saw from your records that none of you are able to have more children?" The three of them blushed and nodded their uncomfortable replies. Phillip continued on, oblivious to their discomfort, "Well then you'll be sharing a two bedroom apartment we have available."

"Oh good," T-Dog stated, his voice a sarcastic monotone. "I was really hopin' everyone would find out about that."

"At least your kids aren't sitting in the same room hearin' about their daddy's business," Maggie snapped and shot a glare at Phillip.

"Always wanted you as a roommate Herschel," Carol teased him, trying to make the best of the situation.

"Learn something new every day," Herschel chuckled and patted T-Dog on the shoulder.

Phillip cleared his throat and continued, "As I was saying, you three will be sharing a two bedroom apartment. I'm sorry that we have to group you all together, but we don't have endless space unfortunately."

"The three of us?" Herschel interjected. "What about Bethy?"

"The younger Miss Greene will be paired with Mr. Dixon," Phillip replied, his tone leaving little room for argument and closed his folder with a flourish.

Beth sputtered and looked at Daryl. His eyes widened as the realization of the final pairing sank in.

"What?!" Maggie shrieked and jumped out of her seat. "She's a child! She is not being _paired_ with anyone! She's too young!"

"Miss Greene, I implore you to _sit down_ before I interpret your behavior as threatening." Phillip's icy tone held the promise of threats as he addressed Maggie.

Glenn pulled Maggie back down to the couch and she grasped Beth's hand. Beth knew she should be openly panicking, but she didn't feel like she could move. She looked over at her father and he was staring at the floor, drawing deep breaths as though trying to steady himself.

"What if we say no?" Daryl asked quietly as he began to chew on his thumbnail.

"As I said to Mr. Grimes, you're welcome to leave." Phillip replied calmly.

"No I mean...what'll happen to Beth if I say no?" Now it was Daryl's turn to blush as he bit out his question. Beth instantly fixed her eyes on Daryl, and she felt a wave of gratitude and surprise wash over her as she realized that he was trying to look out for her. "I mean, can she go live with Herschel?" Daryl bit out the end to his question quickly, avoiding Beth's intense stare.

"No. She'll go to someone else who is waiting for a pairing. We often get single survivors that come to Woodbury."

"But she's only a kid!" Maggie exclaimed heatedly. "Can't she stay with Daddy? Or me an' Glenn?"

"She's eighteen, she's healthy, and she will be paired, Miss Greene." The finality of Phillip's tone set Beth's teeth on edge.

"So if Daryl or Bethy says no, you'll hand both of them over to strangers or cast us back out into this hellscape?" Herschel's sorrow seeped out into his question.

"That's a very negative way to put it Mr. Greene, but if must think of it that way, yes."

Herschel looked over to Daryl who met his eyes. They shared a silent conversation, and the longer it lasted the angrier and more devastated Beth became. She felt her life spiraling out of control, and she mourned any hope she had officially lost of living a normal life in the future. This was it, she was being married off to a man twice her age who she barely knew and expected to have children with him; if she didn't, she'd either have to suffer the same arrangement with a stranger or take her chances outside the walls against the dead. She wouldn't be the only one suffering her fate, her father's heart would break or he would leave with her and be vulnerable out there with her in the world. Beth closed her eyes and squeezed back the tears that were once again threatening to fall.

She took a deep breath and met Daryl's blank stare as he took in her reaction. She watched as he set his shoulders in a stubborn stance and turned to narrow his eyes at Phillip. "Fine," he stated simply.

"Bethy?" Herschel whispered, prompting her to speak her own answer.

"Fine," she murmured.

"Good," Phillip confirmed, "We're all set here."


	5. Give Little Time to Me or Burn This Out

Following Phillip's proclamation, the guards escorted the group out into the street, the leader looked at them pointedly.

"Fuck you want?" Daryl bit out at the man whose eyes were locked on him.

"Daryl..." Herschel warned, making to step towards the younger man.

Another man stepped in front of Herschel, halting his progress.

"Time to see your housing assignments," the leader spoke up from where he stood outside of the loosely gathered group. "Jones you'll take the Grimes family over to 1152, Mitch take Mr. and Mrs. Rhee," Maggie and Glenn's heads whipped up at the mention of Maggie's new name.

"Well, thank you for sucking all the romance out of that gesture. Good thing we like each other," Glenn joked and firmly gripped Maggie's hand. She arched her eyebrow at him and looked pointedly over at Beth and Daryl. "Oh..." he said, catching on to his faux pas. "Sorry guys."

Maggie rolled her eyes and turned to the guard assigned to her and Glenn, "Let's get this over with _Mitch_ ," she said, infusing all the hate in her body into the guard's name.

Maggie practically stomped away pulling Glenn along with her as she trailed along behind the guard. Rick took Lori's hand and wrapped his other arm around Carl's shoulders as they slowly followed their own escort from the street.

"Ok, Dave take Mr. Greene, Ms. Peletier, and Mr. Douglas along, and Gorman you'll escort Mr. and Mrs. Dixon."

Daryl could hear both Herschel and Beth's sharp intake of breath as she was assigned her new name. He saw her turn to face her father, who reached out and drew her into a tight hug. He heard Herschel whisper something into her ear and watched her nod in response and she wiped the tears from her eyes. Carol reached out and took Herschel's hand to guide him as they followed along behind T-Dog and the guard.

To Daryl's dismay, he realized the man who was assigned to guide he and Beth to their new home was the man who had stepped into his space earlier when he had spoken up. The guard, Gorman, stepped in front of Beth as she watched her father leave. He leaned forward and brushed a lock of hair back from her face, the sudden contact startling her from her haze. Beth immediately took a quick step back and narrowed her eyes at Gorman.

"What are you doing?" she hissed at the guard.

"Well blondie, I haven't seen anyone quite so... unmarked as you in quite some time," he openly raked his eyes down her form as he replied to her question.

Daryl saw red. He'd heard the expression before, but it didn't really make sense to him until this very moment. When that asshole had touched Beth, he'd felt anger start to take root in his chest and curl out into his body; but when he'd said that perverted shit to her, he lost control. Daryl stepped in front of Beth, blocking her from Gorman's sight, letting out what could only be described as a growl.

"Don't you fuckin' touch 'er," he stated, his voice quiet and lethal. "I'case you didn' hear yer boss, this here's ma wife, and if you even talk to 'er again, I'll kill ya."

He could hear Beth's sharp intake of breath from behind him, but he refused to break eye contact with Gorman. Daryl had no idea what had possessed him to refer to Beth the way he did or why he felt like he had to take it on himself to step in, but he sure as shit wasn't going to let this douchebag take advantage of a teenage girl, let alone Herschel's teenage daughter.

"I see how it is," Gorman chuckled as he stepped away from Daryl. "You want to keep this fresh one to yourself. I get it, man." He turned on his heel and beckoned them over his shoulder to follow him.

Daryl finally looked back at Beth, who was staring up at him with wide eyes and an unreadable expression.

"Thank you, Daryl. But you didn't need to stick up for me, I can handle it myself."

"Suit yerself," Daryl muttered and turned away from her, starting to follow Gorman.

Beth scurried along behind the two men, rushing to keep up with them as she realized they were leaving without her. She felt numb, numb and scared, if she was honest with herself. In one morning, she had lost her freedom, her dreams of having a loving husband and family, and now her name. She knew she was being ridiculous that she was so upset about her name, but she reasoned with herself that she hadn't stopped being Beth Greene willingly.

She kept her eyes on Daryl's back as they made their way through the settlement of Woodbury, afraid to take in her surroundings, afraid that it would make the fact that this was now her home more real. She caught up to Daryl as Gorman led them into an apartment building and stopped in front of a door that was indistinguishable from the others like it in the hallway.

"Home sweet home," Gorman teased. He clapped Daryl on the shoulder, and Beth noticed Daryl quickly shy away from the contact before swiftly stepping into the apartment. As Gorman moved past Beth he leaned in and very obviously sniffed her hair. She shuddered at his action and snapped out, "Leave me alone!"

Gorman immediately stopped and took one large step towards Beth, forcing her to back up against the wall. Her eyes widened at the aggressive act and she forced herself to keep her hands at her sides rather than push him away from her.

"Don't you be gettin' the same mouth on you as yer redneck husband in there," he brought his hand up and ran his fingertips down the length of her arm. "I'd hate to see you spoilt by his ways. When you get bored, you come find me, little girl."

Beth cringed at his words and he laughed at her discomfort. He sauntered down the hallway without a backwards glance. Once he was out of sight, Beth slipped into the apartment and closed the door behind her. She leaned against the door, using it to keep her steady as her adrenaline worked its way out of her system.

"Yeah, ya did great handlin' yerself there Bethy," Daryl smirked at her from where he stood in front of a large living room window.

"Shut up Daryl!" she spit out, pushing herself from the door. He chuckled in response to her anger, which only served to set her off more. She turned away from him and stomped off to explore the apartment. She peered into the small kitchen that held all sorts of appliances that she hadn't seen since they left the farm. The living room was furnished with generic furniture and even a house plant. Their small bathroom had running water and a toilet that worked. "Thank heaven for small miracles," she muttered to herself at the luxuries she had once taken for granted. Lastly she opened the bedroom door and she was suddenly confronted with the reality of the situation. There was one bedroom. She was expected to share not only an apartment, but a bed, with Daryl.

He had snuck up behind her as she stood in the doorway to the bedroom, noticing that she was frozen in place. "S'the matter?" he asked.

She jumped at his voice but didn't turn around. "We're married now? We live here together...we're supposed to sleep together..." she trailed off as she continued to stare at the bed in the center of the room.

Daryl suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. Seeing the bed they were meant to share brought all of his earlier amusement at teasing Beth to a crashing halt. He was expected to have sex with Beth Greene. Beth _Dixon_. Fuck, she was right, they were goddamn _married_ now. She was eighteen goddamn years old. She was half his age. Daryl's head continued to spin until he felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Ima gonna go outside, see if I can find Rick," he muttered, hastily backing his way down the hallway. He opened the door, shutting it firmly behind him. Daryl practically jogged down the hallway of the apartment building, desperately needing fresh air.

Beth felt the beginnings of tears threaten to spill over as Daryl ran from her. She knew he was as scared as she was, but it still stung a little that he wouldn't stay with her to process their situation together. Beth took one step forward, breaching the threshold so that she now stood in the bedroom that she was fated to share with Daryl...her husband. Her breath caught in her throat as she let the idea sink in that she was married to Daryl. No white dress, no ceremony, no flowers...no love.

Beth slid to the floor as she let go, the tears falling freely down her face. She allowed herself to mourn the dreams for a life she had long ago said goodbye to. She cried for the situation she and her family found themselves in. And she prayed that this place would be worth it.


	6. Everyone is Lookin For Someone to Blame

Daryl took in a deep breath as he reached the outside of the apartment building. It did nothing. He took in another. He realized he was bent over at the waist, bracing his hands on his knees as he stared at the ground.

"There ya are Darylina!" He stood up straight as he heard Merle's loud voice. His brother was ambling towards him, shit-eating grin on his face. It was then that Daryl realized what he had missed in the darkness of the woods the previous night - Merle had a knife for a hand. Knowing his brother though, Daryl chose not to point out this obvious fact to him.

Daryl grunted out a response as Merle reached out to clap him on the shoulder.

"So baby brother, let's go fer a walk," Merle smirked at him and wrapped his knife-wielding arm around Daryl's shoulders. He let himself be dragged along with his brother, and allowed himself to be pulled into another apartment building. Merle pushed open the door to his apartment, and Daryl was struck by how much less there was in this apartment compared to the one he had just been assigned. It was a small studio apartment with a twin-sized bed, a fold-out card table with four folding chairs around it, a tiny kitchen attached to the main room, and a bathroom the size of a closet.

Merle caught Daryl looking around, appraising his surroundings and looking like a deer caught in headlights. "Sit down," he instructed Daryl, gesturing to the folding chairs. As Daryl did as Merle said, he went to the cabinet and pulled down a mason jar full of clear liquid. He took his place at the table across from Daryl and placed the jar on the surface in between them. Daryl narrowed his eyes at the jar and Merle just chuckled in response.

"Ya can relax, baby brother," Merle said quietly, using the tip of his knife-hand to nudge the jar closer to Daryl. He watched his sibling reach for the glass with hesitation and smirked at the expression that crossed his face when he caught wind of the strong alcohol as he unscrewed the lid.

"I ain't drank since we was at the CDC," Daryl mumbled to himself and took a small sip of the moonshine.

"Sounds like Officer Friendly took ya all over Georgia," Merle replied, and Daryl could hear the bitterness on this tongue.

"Mhmmm," Daryl answered. He knew his brother would begrudge his choosing to stay with Rick after the incident in Atlanta. It didn't make this conversation any less hard to have though. "Yeah, we been a few places." Daryl chewed on his thumb, finally bringing his eyes up to meet Merle's. Merle raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Daryl let out a long sigh and took a larger gulp of the moonshine. "Fine. We went back fer ya in Atlanta, found that ya were gone from the roof where Rick lef' ya. The city didn' work out, Glenn got taken an' we had to get 'im back. After that we ended up losin' the camp a' the quarry. Got o'er run by walkers one night, we lost a lot o' people. Andrea lost Amy..." Daryl paused and swirled the moonshine around the glass before pushing it back towards Merle. "Decided to try the CDC, we lost Jim along the way. We got there, there was only one guy left though. He fed us, let us shower and we all got smashed. Glenn an' Rick are fuckin' funny when they drink," Daryl let a slight smile cross his face, but dropped it the instant he caught the look Merle was giving him. He looked...hurt? Daryl couldn't believe that was the case."Anyways, the man ended up bein' crazy, alone too long I guess. He set off a self-destruct, an' was intendin' to take us all wit' 'im. Rick talked 'im inta lettin' us go, Jackie decided ta stay, said she was done.

"Go caught up in a traffic snarl on the damned highway, lost Carol's girl when a herd moved through. We went out to find her, and Carl got shot by some stupid hunter who didn' know what he was doin'. He took us to Herschel's farm, Herschel patched 'im up, let us stay there. I looked for Sophia fer a long time, but turned out she was bit an' turned." Daryl stopped to draw in a deep breath and felt for the cigarettes in his pocket. When he pulled one out he offered another to Merle who nodded appreciatively and produced a lighter from his own pocket. Daryl inhaled and let the smoke curl into his lungs and decided he wasn't going to tell Merle about the setup at Herschel's farm. He knew his brother would think badly of the old man, and he'd grown too attached to him to allow Merle to fault him for his previous beliefs about the walkers.

Daryl cleared his throat and took another drag of his cigarette before continuing. "Rick talked Herschel inta lettin' us stay fer a while, cuz he found out Lori's pregnant -"

"Is it his or that bastard Shane's?" Merle interrupted with a smirk.

Daryl shrugged in response. "Dunno, none o' my business. But we stayed there with Herschel and his girls, taught 'em what we could. I had to put down Dale, walker got him one night, tore him almost in half..."

Merle pushed the glass back across the table and Daryl took another gulp.

"A lot o' shit went down...Shane wen' crazy, tried to kill Rick an' take Carl. Rick killed 'im..." Daryl hated to do it, but he kept the fact that Shane came back without being bitten to himself. He wanted to talk to Rick before he started sharing the fact that they were all infected. "Same night we lost the farm. Big-ass herd came through and shit hit the fan. The barn caught fire, it moved towards the house, there were too many o' them to do anythin' other than run. One o' Herschel's friends got bit, we lost track o' Andrea...I dunno, we jus' been tryin' to survive since..." He looked up at his brother, trying to read his expression. Merle had always been good at keeping his emotions hidden, and it seemed like this trait had stayed with him.

"And now you're back with ol' Merley," he smiled and grabbed for the jar of moonshine. After a couple of sizeable pulls from the mason jar, he brought he gaze back to Daryl. "How'd yer meetin' wit' the Governor go?"

Daryl looked at him with a confused expression.

"The Governor, ya know, Philip."

"The fuck he called that?" Daryl asked around another drag of his cigarette.

Merle shrugged. "Dunno, been that since I met up wit' him a while back. Fittin' though. He got control o' this place, these people, me, you...you get paired baby brother?"

Daryl blushed and ducked his head to hide the color he was sure was spreading across his face.

Merle cackled and handed the jar over to Daryl. "Ha! Well, congratulations on gettin' hitched kid!"

"'S fuckin' stupid! I ain't fuckin' married, this is bullshit," Daryl slammed his hands on the table in frustration. "I got paired with one o' Herschel's daughters, she's a fuckin' kid!"

"What she gross or somethin?" Merle asked, pulling the moonshine back towards himself and away from Daryl's wrath.

"Jesus Christ Merle that ain' the point!"

"So she ain' nasty then?"

"No," Daryl replied, sounding defeated. He'd honestly never looked at Beth the way he was supposed to now. But yes, he admitted to himself, she was fairly easy on the eyes. "She's pretty enough, yeah. Ain' the point though! I don' wanna be anyone's _husband_ , let alone someone who don' choose it. Shit's fuckin' nuts Merle!"

Daryl looked at his brother, imploring him to see how bad this situation was for him. Merle narrowed his eyes at him and leaned in, taking one last drag of his cigarette before crushing it out in an empty soda can on the table. "Could be worse Darylina, ya could be out there still. Yer _wife_ could still be out there, without you to keep her safe. Ya best keep yer mouth shut and yer opinions to yerself though baby brother, otherwise that's exactly what'll happen. It ain't good when people don' like the rules the Governor makes. I jus' got ya back, don' be stupid and fuck this up for yerself or yer girl."

"She ain't ma girl," Daryl muttered.

"She is now. Ya best get tha' shit through yer head. Her daddy ain't goin' be able to do shit if anyone comes after her, that's on ya."

Daryl felt a chill go through him at Merle's words. The image of Gorman touching Beth's hair and hearing what he said to her in the hallway outside their apartment ran through his head. Shit. "That happen a lot?" He asked quietly.

Merle leaned back into his chair. "Ain't unheard of. People git bored a' the end o' tha world, sometimes shit hits tha fan."

Beth's innocent smile and stubborn attitude flashed in Daryl's mind. Girl could easily get in trouble just by trying to defend herself, hell he'd already seen one asshole proposition her and they'd been there less than twenty-four hours. "What about this havin' kids thing?" Daryl bit out as another blush crawled across his skin.

"Its serious, don' doubt that shit. If ya don' have kids in the time frame, yer girl get's put wit someone else, and they give ya a different one. Shit's medieval if ya ask me." Merle chuckled darkly and drained the rest of the moonshine.

Daryl felt his breath catch in his throat at the idea of Beth being pulled out of their home, of some strange woman taking Beth's place in his life...in his bed. Daryl blushed again and cursed under his breath.

"Don' try nothin' stupid neither Daryl. They find any pills or condoms or anything they'll punish both yer asses."

Fuck. Daryl nodded slightly, letting his chin fall to his chest.

"What's her name, kid?" Merle asked softly, looking at his brother intently.

"Beth," Daryl breathed out.

"Beth and Darylina, sounds like y'all make a beautiful couple."


	7. You Don't Need Me But You Won't Leave Me

**A/N: Everyone who has reviewed and messaged me and followed me and favorited me is just wonderful! Its so humbling that anyone is even taking time out of their day to read what I've written, let alone enjoying it! So thank you thank you thank you!**

Daryl left Merle's apartment as the sun began to set beyond the trees. It took him a while to find his way back to the apartment building where he'd been set up with Beth, and he breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to go back and ask Merle for directions; he had a feeling that Merle had used up all of his ration of kindness for the day.

He leaned his forehead against the front door of the apartment and closed his eyes, letting everything that Merle had told him sink in. It all felt so surreal. Two nights ago he and his group had been camped around a fire in the middle of the woods, hoping they'd find something to fill their bellies. Romance and furthering the world's population may in fact have been the furthest thing from his mind. Now here he was, in an apartment building he didn't have to even check for walkers, "married" to Beth Greene, and expected to share a home hearth with her. And kids... _kids_. Fuck. He was supposed to have kids with Herschel's goddamn daughter. It wasn't that Beth wasn't cute...or sweet...or kind...shit. But after the way he'd grown up, he'd never wanted to knock anyone up, let alone a good girl who had the all the possibilities of the world at her feet. She was stuck with his sorry as much as he was stuck with her.

Daryl decided right then and there that he would hold off on this whole having kids thing with Beth as long as possible, by then maybe things would change. Maybe the rules would be different or he could find a way to get around it. Lori'd have the kid by then and maybe he could convince Rick to get their group out of there. Or maybe he could take off with Merle if he could find a way to keep the rest of his group safe.

Daryl huffed against the door and turned the knob, letting himself into the apartment. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness of the living room. He realized for the hundredth time since they'd gotten to Woodbury that he didn't have his crossbow. He didn't know where they'd taken it, and he'd forgotten to ask Merle about it, too distracted by all the other things that had been thrown at him in such a short amount of time. He turned to walk down the darkened hallway towards the bedroom that he and Beth were supposed to share. When he got there though, it was empty and dark as well.

He didn't really care where had Beth had gone, but then his brother's words rang through his head.

 _Her daddy ain't goin' be able to do shit if anyone comes after her, that's on ya."_

Shit. Daryl stomped back down the hallway towards the front door, intent on finding Beth before she got herself in trouble. Or better yet, he should find Herschel and see if he had any ideas about what he was supposed to do. Maybe he could keep Beth safe.

It was then that Daryl realized that the bathroom light was on and he could hear Beth humming quietly inside. He felt his shoulders sag with relief and he went to the kitchen, turning on lights as he went. He still wasn't used to having electricity again. His head turned back to the hallway quickly when he heard the bathroom door open.

Beth stopped humming when she caught sight of him standing in the kitchen. Her hair was wet and hanging in long tangles down her back and her eyes were wide with...embarrassment maybe? Daryl quickly realized why when he saw that she was only wrapped in a towel.

"Shit! Sorry Beth," he mumbled quickly as he averted his eyes and turned around.

"S'ok. I'll be right back," she replied quietly. Her voice sounded hoarse to Daryl, and he realized that she had probably been crying. A pang of guilt hit him as he remembered that she had been upset when he ran away earlier. Maybe he should have stayed with her, but he had felt like his lungs may explode if he hadn't gone when he did. He heard her close the bedroom door and start opening drawers in the bedroom.

Daryl went to move to sit on the couch, when he realized that he didn't know what to say to Beth when she came back out of the bedroom. _Their_ bedroom. He decided to nip that in the bud right then and there. He stalked down the hallway and knocked on the bedroom door. Daryl took a step back when Beth opened it. Her expression was wary and nervous, and it came to him that she was anxious was about him.

"I'm goin' sleep out there Beth," he muttered, gesturing loosely at the rest of the apartment behind him.

He noticed the tension slide from her face at his statement and she nodded. "You sure Daryl?" she asked.

He grunted and nodded in reply. "Go on, take the bed. I prefer tha couch anyways."

"Thank you, Daryl," she whispered, giving him a small smile before she moved to close the bedroom door.

"Beth," he started. She paused and looked at him expectantly. "We'll figure this shit out."

She looked down at the floor and he saw her eyes fill with tears. She blinked them away rapidly before she looked back up at him. Her face was hard, resolved. The girl he had known at the farm wasn't there anymore. The slip of a kid that Herschel and Maggie had treated like a porcelain doll was nowhere to be seen. This Beth was strong and determined, her expression seemed to be darkened by the weight of the world, the weight of the situation they found themselves in. This Beth was different than the one he'd left in the apartment hours ago, it was like she'd grown up in one afternoon.

"You're right Daryl, we will." Beth gave him one more quick nod and closed the bedroom door quietly.

Daryl hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath while observing her. He let it out and made his way back to the couch. As he lay down, he became aware that his heart was pounding as well. Beth had done that to him. And the idea that Beth Greene could have an effect on him at all scared him more than he cared to acknowledge.


	8. Once Upon a Different Life

Beth could smell the liquor on him when he knocked on the bedroom door. The smell echoed the memories of the darker days of her childhood when her daddy was still drinking. She was still only dressed in a towel, she decided to hide most of her body behind the door as she spoke to Daryl.

She hadn't intended for him to see her when she was getting out of the shower. She had broken down on the floor of their bedroom, she had been so angry with him for leaving her alone in this place. When she had pulled herself up and stomped off to the bathroom, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and very quickly made peace with Daryl's absence. She looked like she...well, quite frankly she had cried herself ugly. The warmth of the shower soothed her puffy eyes and cleared her head. She wasn't going to go along all of these imposed changes without talking to her group. Her daddy and Rick would know what to do. Daryl...he was her partner now, her roommate at the very least. He had to have some sort of idea as to what they should be doing.

She hadn't heard him come into their apartment, and more than anything it scared her down to her bones that she had already allowed her defenses to drop. He had looked just as embarrassed as she felt when he caught sight of her undressed state; the tips of his ears tinged red as she caught him taking in her bare skin. She had had a moment of panic when he knocked on their bedroom door. What if he was drunk and wanted to take advantage of their new living arrangement? She immediately flushed with regret that she had even let the thought cross her mind. Daryl would never hurt her, she knew that; besides the fact that her daddy wouldn't have let her out of his sight if he didn't trust Daryl, she felt the truth of it deep within her, Daryl would keep her safe.

Daryl woke up with a hangover for the first time in a long time. Goddamn Merle. He was back in Daryl's life for 24 hours and he was already a bad influence. He could feel the tendrils of pain working their way through his head and his stomach was rolling before he even opened his eyes. But then he smelled it - coffee. And bacon. He lifted his head to look over the back of the couch he'd passed out after he'd spoken to Beth the previous evening. Beth's back was to him as she worked at the kitchen counter so he was free to take her in without her notice. She was wearing a large t-shirt, it was obviously a man's shirt and the collar was dropping down, exposing her pale shoulder. She also was donning what looked like men's boxer shorts, and her long blond curls were loose down her back. She was balancing on one leg, her left foot resting lightly on her right calf. Her legs were much longer than he had ever noticed before; she was such a tiny thing, and she somehow looked even smaller in this moment. She was relaxed, she was making breakfast in her pajamas - this is what she would look like if she had gotten to be a normal teenager.

Daryl rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and let out a soft groan. As he opened his eyes Beth came into his view and placed a glass of water in front of him on the coffee table.

"They don't have medicine or anythin' in the cabinets here, but water should help with that, right?" she asked, the corner of her mouth quirking up into a teasing smile. "Don' think I've seen anyone drunk since before all this happened, Daryl. Did you find Rick last night?" She laughed at the scowl he could feel spreading across his face and walked back to the kitchen.

"Naw," he mumbled as he stood up and stretched his arms over his head, feeling his joints pop and his shoulders crack. "Merle foun' me, I wen' up ta where he stays, drank some moonshine he had. I wasn' drunk neither, just ain't used to drinkin'."

He heard Beth laugh softly and her smile carried over as she turned from the counter to face him. She held a cup of coffee in one hand and a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast in the other. His mouth watered at the sight and smell of breakfast and he ambled over to meet Beth where she stood so he could try to calm the rolling feeling in his stomach.

"Is over-easy ok? Its been a while since I cooked on a stove...I feel out of practice," she bit her lip as he took the plate of food from her and leaned himself against the counter next to her. He felt himself blush as inappropriate thoughts flashed across his mind. Beth was standing in their kitchen feeding him breakfast, biting her lip and looking up at him with her big doe-eyes, and her damn shoulder was still sticking out of her too-big shirt. She looked like a goddamn domestic wet-dream.

Daryl coughed to cover his discomfort and took a bite of the food. "Darlin' we been on the verge of eatin' dog food for the last year. I think I'll eat whatever eggs ya make fer me."

She threw her head back and laughed at his words. The sound startled him at first; he had no idea that tiny Beth had such a big laugh. She laughed with her whole body, and unconscientiously clapped her hands together in front of her mouth. When her eyes met his again, she continued to giggle at the absurdity of her question.

Daryl smiled as he watched her, feeling the color continue to rise in his cheeks. "Who's clothes are those?"

Beth looked down at her pajamas and blushed at the realization that she was still dressed in them. "Yours, I guess. They were in the dresser in the bedroom."

"You already stealin' my clothes, girl?" Daryl joked. He felt the need to cover any of the feelings it stirred up in him to hear that Beth was sleeping in his underwear and t-shirt. He realized something then - he liked this relaxed Beth. Her laugh was easy and her smiles freely given. Even though they were at the end of the world, she still cared that she made his eggs right. She made him start to feel alright about the idea of sharing a space with her.

She giggled again and drank down the rest of her coffee. She rolled her eyes and let out soft sigh.

"What are we going to do Daryl?" she asked quietly and looked down at her empty cup.

Daryl shrugged and let out his own sigh that echoed hers. "I don' know Beth. I talked ta Merle, and I can' get a feel fer this place. It looks nice, but it don' feel right. Plus there's this," he motioned his hand between the two of them. "Dunno what shit they're playin' at with this whole pairin' thang."

"What did Merle say?" she turned back towards him as she spoke, her brow furrowing and she began worrying her lip between her teeth again.

Daryl shot his gaze away from her before he answered. "Said a lot of wha' tha Governor said yesterday-"

"Who?"

"Evidently, Phillip calls himself 'Tha Govenor'," Daryl held up his hands to make quotation marks around the man's title.

Beth snorted at that new piece of information and Daryl allowed his lips to rest in a small smile at her reaction.

"S'what I said too." Daryl took another pull of his coffee. "Merle said not ta underestimate 'im and this pairin' shit. Said tha Governor ain't afraid to hand out punishments fer goin' against his rules. Dunno what that means, but Merle ain't gonna lie ta me 'bout that shit."

Beth nodded her head seriously and continued to stare at Daryl. "We should talk to Rick and my daddy."

Daryl let out a grunt and nodded his head once. "Lemme take a shower, and we'll go an' find 'em."

Beth tried to avert her eyes as Daryl made his way back to the bedroom in a towel after his shower. She tried, she really did, she reasoned with herself. But she was only human, and she felt her face heat up as she watched him bolt down the hallway. He had a towel around his waist and held another around his shoulders, covering his back, but they didn't cover the muscles of his arms as he moved quickly away from her. She could appreciate his arms without him knowing, she told herself.

As soon as the bedroom door closed behind him, a knock sounded at the front door. Beth turned her head to peer down the hallway, but Daryl didn't emerge from the bedroom. Squaring her shoulders she strode across the room and silently praised herself for getting dressed while Daryl was showering. Having one man see her in pajamas was enough for her this morning.

She pulled open the door to find Merle leaning against the opposite wall, picking at a spot on the knife he wore for a hand. He lifted his eyes to meet hers and a wide, sly grin slid across his face.

"Merle, right?" she asked and stepped aside to let him in to the apartment.

"Thas right," he answered, never dropping the smile. In fact, it seemed to only amuse him more once he heard her speak. "So, yer Darylina's wife?" Beth shrugged in response. Merle laughed at her reaction. "Git used it girl, s'what ya are now. Whas yer name, Blondie?"

Beth arched an eyebrow at Daryl's brother. She had a feeling his nickname for her was sticking whether she told him her name or not. "Beth," she said softly. She gave him a sincere smile, because that's what her mama and daddy has always taught her was the polite thing to do when you met someone - even if that someone was a one-handed, knife-wielding, rough-spoken redneck in the midst of the apocalypse. The most she could hope for was that he wouldn't continue to laugh at her the whole time he was here.

All of a sudden Merle's smile disappeared and he shook his head almost imperceptibly. "Aw Blondie," his voice rough and laced with what sounded nearly like concern, "Ya weren't made fer this world, were ya?"

Beth felt her stomach drop and tears threaten her eyes at his words. She had thought those exact words before she had slit her wrist open at the farm. She knew that's why her daddy and Maggie never let her out of their sight...and it broke her heart that someone could tell that about her just from meeting her once.

"Merle?" Daryl's voice called from down the hall. Instantly Merle's smile returned and Beth turned away to cover her distress. Daryl entered the room and immediately looked back and forth between Beth and his brother.

"Would you like some coffee Merle?" she asked quickly, moving away from them swiftly.

Daryl must have heard the unsteadiness of her voice because she saw him frown slightly at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Nah. Don' got time fer it. I's supposed to take yer asses down to git work assignments. Its simple shit. Jus' rotatin' on what needs doin'. Laundry, gardenin', cleanin', construction, ya know, borin' shit." Merle spoke all this to Daryl, already appearing to forget that Beth was in the room.

"Don' y'all need help on the walls?" Daryl asked, turning his frown towards Merle.

"Y'all are new, no way tha Governor is givin' y'all weapons. It'll take a while."

"What do you do Merle?" Beth asked once she felt like she could speak without betraying her gloominess to either of them.

"Work wit tha Governor," he cut his eyes over to her.

"So, like a soldier?" Beth asked, "That's what it looked like y'all were when we got here."

Merle nodded slightly, "Yeah somethin' like that. Tha ain't fer you either baby brother," he said quickly, answering the next question before it was asked. "'Specially since yer paired."

Beth raised her eyebrows at Merle's words and looked to Daryl who shrugged in response. Beth tried to catch Merle's gaze but he was looking everywhere except for at her. He started rubbing the back of his neck with his one good hand and shifted his weight back and forth.

"Fucks wrong wit ya Merle?" Daryl asked. Beth's stomach was starting to hurt with nerves from the way Merle was acting.

Merle closed his eyes, a look of pain crossing his face. When he opened his eyes he looked directly at Daryl, "It ain't somethin' fer ya Daryl." He turned and met Beth's gaze straight on, unnerving her more than when he wouldn't look at her. "An' hopefully it ain't somethin' ya ever need to learn 'bout Blondie."

The three of them stood in the small living room of the apartment and Beth felt the silence threatening to pull her down. Merle's words were filled with a sorrow that only came from knowing something bad that she was sure he didn't want to know. She glanced at Daryl, but he was watching his brother with a scowl on his face, a look of concentration marring his features as he tried to figure out what Merle wasn't saying. Beth knew Merle wouldn't talk more with her there, and she could only hope that Daryl would tell her if it was something bad.

Finally Merle broke the spell. "Fuckin Debbie Downer. Let's git this shit goin Darylina." Beth watched the smile return to his face. Before he turned completely away from her, she caught Merle's glance and saw that his smile didn't reach his eyes. He gave her a firm nod before turning fully back to Daryl, motioning for the two of them to follow him out the door.

 **Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed this story so far! It means so so so much to me! I'm sorry if these feel like filler chapters, I have an idea of where I'm going, and I'm just working on getting there :)**


	9. Her Rosy Cheeks and Ruby Lips

Daryl felt a chill slide down his spine as he stepped out of the apartment building into the warm sunshine-covered streets of Woodbury. The place was clean, homey...cheery even. All the things that should have given him comfort about this place were only making him feel on edge. It was as though nothing had changed in the last year, like this was a normal town, a place he and Merle sure as hell didn't belong whether the dead were walking the earth or not. He cut his eyes to Merle, taking in his knife-arm, and he had to hold back a laugh at how out of place his brother looked. But when he looked at Beth...this was a place she could fit in. Her golden hair and kind smile, she was meant for clean streets and friendly people.

A frown crossed his face though as he took in his two companions - Merle was smiling like there was nothing amiss; Beth's eyes moved quickly back and forth across the streets and the buildings, observing, looking out for trouble. Things were not as they should be. It was the only thing keeping the reality of what lay outside the walls of Woodbury in the forefront of his mind. Merle had been here for god-knows how long and saw it as a sanctuary, Beth had traveled with him and didn't trust this place yet either. As much as it worried him to see her nervous, he was thankful that someone else felt suspicious of this place besides him.

"Beth!" Maggie's voice carried across the main square and she took off, racing towards the three of them. Daryl noticed that Beth remained at his side even as a smile spread across her face. Without thinking he brought his hand up to rest at the small of her back - and everyone's reaction was immediate. Beth turned her face up to look at him and worried at her goddamn bottom lip again; Maggie came up short, practically skidding to a stop, the scowl on her face could have killed a walker; and Merle's own shit-eating grin made Daryl want the walls to be breached just to take the attention away from himself.

He dropped his hand like it had been burned and let out a gruff cough. "S'everyone here?" he muttered out at Maggie. He looked directly at the older girl's face and hoped that both Beth and Merle would take their own stares off him.

Maggie narrowed her eyes and looked quickly back and forth between him and Beth. "Yeah," she snapped out and cocked her head back over her shoulder. "We were jus' waitin' on you two."

Beth reached out and took Maggie's hand, her own smile attempting to work out the frown on her sister's face. She looked back up at Daryl though, and this time he met her eyes. He nodded and stepped away from them towards the loose gathering of his group. He didn't bothering looking back as he made his way over to them. T-Dog and Glenn each clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a quick nod; Herschel also brought his hand to Daryl's shoulder, reaching out and shaking his hand, a small smile tugging at his lips. Rick moved to him last, and brought a hand up to rest on the back of Daryl's neck, pulling him in to a tight hug.

"You guys ok?" he whispered quietly in Daryl's ear as he pulled him in close.

Daryl nodded. "You?"

Rick returned the nod, and looked over Daryl's shoulder to the area behind him. Daryl turned to see what had caught Rick's attention.

Shit. Fuck. Damn. Merle.

The coldness of Merle's stare could have ended him. His father's angry eyes flashed across his mind and Daryl felt his breakfast work its way back up his throat. For the first time in years Daryl felt powerless - he was trapped between his brother in blood and the group that had taken him in. Merle wasn't looking away and Daryl could feel the tension building between his brother and Rick, two unmovable forces who wouldn't let their claim over Daryl go. He itched for his crossbow, his fingers beginning to shake... who he would aim it at was still unclear to him though.

And then her... Goddamn Beth saved the day.

Beth stepped up next to Merle and laid her tiny hand on his arm, startling him loose from his angry concentration. He looked down at her sharply and arched an eyebrow at her. Beth let a bright smile slide across her face to combat Merle's ire. "Daryl said he saw your place last night, Merle. Where do you live?"

If possible Merle raised his eyebrow higher at Beth's obvious interjection, but after a few moments the tension seemed to drain out of him and he let out a loud sigh. He gestured loosely down the street and grumbled, "Down there."

Daryl caught Beth exchange an eye roll with Herschel and he felt the edges of his lips twitch. Beth turned to him and gave him a tight smile. He let himself feel relief in this moment, because he doubted that Beth would always be there to diffuse whatever was on the edge of erupting between his brother and Rick.

* * *

A man named Martinez was divvying up jobs to their group and Beth wasn't surprised when all the men in their group except for her father learned they would be sent off to help with construction projects. Her father was told to assist in the medical facility, while she, Maggie, and Carol were instructed to work in the garden and the laundry on alternating days. Lori was sent to help in the makeshift classroom, which only furthered Carl's derision at being sent to the school with the other children in Woodbury.

"Seriously Dad? I'm not a kid! I can do somethin' other than sittin' around in school," he complained loudly. "This is bullshit!"

"Carl!" Lori and Rick exclaimed sharply. "Language!" Rick added. Carl rolled his eyes in answer to his father's chastising.

"I miss school Carl," Beth whispered conspiratorially. She saw Daryl raise an eyebrow at her in response. "What? I didn't e'er finish." She shrugged her shoulders and leaned back towards Carl, "I think you got tha better deal."

Carl smiled at Beth's teasing and she caught Rick's eye over Carl's head. He nodded a thanks and rubbed his son's hair.

"How is everyone this morning?" The Governor's booming voice jarred them from the familiar easiness they had been enjoying amongst themselves.

Beth watched her father smile kindly at Phillip, Rick nodded at him, and Daryl simply glared at him. She felt herself snort at Daryl's glower, a stark contrast to her own father's politeness. She immediately regretted it though, as Philip's eyes instantly cut over to her. The intensity of his stare spooked her, and she wished she had kept her mouth shut; somehow she knew that the last place she wanted to be was on this man's radar.

To Beth's surprise she noticed Daryl take an almost imperceptible step towards her, his eyes dead set on the Governor. Beth was mentally scrambling to find another inane question to break the tension when a familiar voice called out, "Rick?!"

The group turned to see Andrea running towards them. From her clean hair and the healthy glow in her cheeks, Beth guessed that she had been in Woodbury a while. She wondered why Merle hadn't mentioned it to Daryl, and she wondered at the familiar smile that passed between the woman and the Governor. Andrea slid in next to Phillip after hugging Rick, Glenn and T-Dog. She gave Herschel a warm smile and looked expectantly around at the rest of the group.

"Everyone all set on jobs for now?" Phillip asked, looking to each of them individually, and Beth made sure to look away as his eyes ghosted over her face.

Everyone nodded, and Herschel put his hand on Daryl's shoulder as he gave Phillip a kind smile, "We've all got jobs to do."

Beth heard Merle scoff from a short distance away and watched Daryl tense up at the sound. Her father dropped his hand and nodded once more to the Phillip.

Martinez motioned to the men to follow him to get started at the construction site, and Beth noticed Daryl look quickly to her before glancing at his brother and turning on his heel, stalking off along with Rick, Glenn and T-Dog. One of the nurses from the clinic approached and invited Herschel to join her, he laid a light hand on both Beth and Maggie's arms as he passed by each of them.

Andrea smiled as she took in the faces of the group that was left. "I'm so happy you're here!" she exclaimed as she hugged Lori and Carl.

"We were so worried that we had lost you," Carol said as slid the other woman into a tight hug.

"I was lost," she replied as she moved to hug Maggie and Beth in turn. "I teamed up with another woman for a while, then Merle found us. I couldn't believe it! We got here and I was real sick, they got me healthy again." She took a step back to look at them all again. "My friend didn't want to stay, but I didn't want to go out there again."

"How long have you been here Andrea?" Beth asked.

"A month? Something like that," she answered, her head cocking slightly as she thought about it. A dark look crossed her face, but before Beth could think on it, it was gone. Andrea clapped her hands together in front of her chest, "I'm supposed to take you all to your jobs. Shall we?"

* * *

Daryl stretched his body out on the grass, feeling his muscles crack and his bones creak. It had been a while since he'd done manual labor...since the farm probably. His body was still healing from their time on the road, and working a full day of construction was having him hurt something fierce. T-Dog, Rick, and Glenn all reclined nearby, each feeling the effects of their new jobs. None of them wanted to head back to their apartments without the rest of their group, Daryl felt it went without saying that they were all still used to having each other on hand. He was loathe to admit it himself, but he felt the same way. Spending the last eight hour with more than half his group out of sight was disconcerting and had him on edge. He decided to keep that piece of self-awareness to himself though, he didn't need to give Merle any more ammunition than he already had to hate Daryl's makeshift family.

"Dad!" They looked up to see Carl running down the street to the small main square where they had settled down to wait. He launched himself at Rick, giggling as Rick made a show of being knocked to the ground, and Daryl smiled at seeing Carl get to act like a kid again. Lori followed slowly down the street, smiling as she spoke with Andrea. Rick stood to help her lower herself down into the grass, Andrea claiming the spot next to T-Dog once she settled herself alongside to Carl, Rick following suit and groaning as he dropped to the ground.

"How was y'all's day?" Rick asked, fatigue evident in his voice.

"Eh," Carl shrugged noncommittally and Lori rolled her eyes at her husband. "He enjoyed it," she answered quietly so Carl wouldn't hear her.

"And you?" Rick implored.

Lori let out a low sigh followed by a short laugh. "I'm tired," she smiled and shook her head. Rick guided her to lay down and rest her head on his lap while he brushed the hair away from her face. A look passed between them, the tenderness and affection that Daryl saw there forced him to look away.

"Hey y'all!" Maggie hollered, leading Beth and Carol along behind her. Maggie sat down and Glenn moved his head to her lap, mirroring Lori's position with Rick. Carol found a place next to Daryl's head and he watched as Beth looked around at the group's arrangement, and seeing that there wasn't anywhere else for her, sat down next to Maggie and Glenn.

Daryl tipped his head backwards to look at Carol, "Hope ya ain't s'pectin' me ta curl up wit' ya."

"Only if you want to Pookie," she replied and the group laughed at her ridiculous nickname for him.

He grunted and settled his head back down, turning his head to look over at Beth across their loose circle. She had smiled at Carol's comment but the loud clear laugh that Daryl had heard for the first time this morning was noticeably absent. It worried him that he was already missing it.

"Don' let her tell ya what to do son," Herschel quipped as he joined them, T-Dog and Andrea moving to make room for him. "I've lived with her for less than a day an' she's already got me an' Theodore on a cleanin' schedule."

Everyone laughed again, and this time he picked up on Beth's laugh. He felt the edges of his mouth twitch up into a small smile at the sound.

"Bethy," Herschel called the attention of his daughter. "Can you sing somethin'?"

"Daddy, I don't know..." Daryl caught Beth blushing. "I ain't sang in a while."

Herschel simply nodded and continued to grin at his youngest.

"Yes Beth," Andrea added, "I'd love to hear you sing."

"Please Beth honey?" Lori asked, "I miss hearin' you sing to us."

"Ok," Beth acquiesced and skirted her gaze over to Daryl. He met her eyes and gave her his own nod of encouragement. He watched her let out a long breath and look down at the grass.

 _Of all the money that e'er I spent  
I've spent it in good company  
And all the harm that ever I did  
Alas it was to none but me  
And all I've done for want of wit  
To memory now I can't recall  
So fill to me the parting glass  
Good night and joy be with you all _

As she was singing she seemed to gain her confidence back, looking up to meet the eyes of each member of their group as they were lulled by the sound of her voice. Daryl had forgot. Her singing voice was something he thought he'd been annoyed with when they were at the farm, but then when they'd been forced to flee he had felt the absence of it. He hadn't realized it until this moment as he listened to the clear melody of her song.

 _If I had money enough to spend  
And leisure to sit awhile  
There is a fair maid in the town  
That sorely has my heart beguiled  
Her rosy cheeks and ruby lips  
I own she has my heart enthralled  
So fill to me the parting glass  
Good night and joy be with you all _

Maggie joined Beth in singing, her voice supporting Beth's as they weaved over and around each other.

 _Oh, all the comrades that e'er I had  
They're sorry for my going away  
And all the sweethearts that e'er I had  
They'd wish me one more day to stay  
But since it falls unto my lot  
That I should rise and you should not  
I'll gently rise and softly call  
Good night and joy be with you all_

Daryl realized he was staring at Beth as her song ended, his head resting on his arm behind his head, turned towards the slip of a girl singing out loud for the first time in months.

"Beautiful," Herschel commended.

Daryl felt a calm spread over him for the first time all day. Since Merle had walked in to his apartment and interrupted his breakfast with Beth, he'd felt off. But right now, in this moment, it felt like they had never left the farm, and that maybe, just maybe, it would all be alright.


	10. Come In, She Said

"Well ain't yer voice the prettiest lil' thing this side of the state border Blondie."

Beth rolled her eyes at Merle's comment and tried to catch Daryl's eyes across the circle. She watched the lightness leave his eyes as he sat up and turned to face his brother where he stood a few feet away. Merle was watching them, and Beth realized he must have heard her singing. As she looked up at Merle, she noticed there were more people who had stopped and were standing close by, not hiding the fact that they were listening to her and Maggie sing to their family. Beth felt her blush crawl up her face; it was one thing for her family to hear her sing, it was another for half the town to have stopped to listen.

"Fuck you wan' Merle?" Daryl bit out. Beth had never heard him address his brother in that tone. He sounded angry...maybe even embarrassed. Beth felt herself heart drop at the thought of Daryl being embarrassed of her and her singing.

"I jus' came to find you baby brother. Didn' expect to find the whole pack havin' a pow wow," Merle answered in his usual sarcastic manner, but Beth sensed something below it. Something that had the corners of his mouth turned down and his eyes narrowed slightly.

It was Daryl's turn to roll his eyes as he let himself fall back down to the grass. Merle moved forward and let himself drop down near Daryl's feet.

"S'good Blondie. Ya got any others?"

"She ain't a damn jukebox Merle," Daryl snapped at him, rubbing his fingers deep into his eyes. It looked to Beth like he was channeling all the tension in his body into this one action. His chest was starting to rise and fall at a faster rate and his free hand was gripping the blades of grass so hard his knuckles were turning white.

"It's ok Daryl," Beth interjected softly. "I can sing some more."

He let his hand drop from his eyes and looked across the group at her. "Ya don' hafta Beth."

She nodded and smiled. "I know," she said, "But we could all use something to make us happy sometimes."

Merle chuckled at her words. "Dang Sunshine aren' you jus' sweet as apple pie."

"Not really," she bit out herself. She had narrowed her eyes when he'd started laughing at her, and hearing him antagonize her had cracked something inside her. She was so tired of being looked at as the weakest member of their family and to have Daryl's brother reinforce the idea in front of him and everyone else was too much for her.

Maggie sputtered and laughed at her response. Rick covered his own smirk with his hand.

"She ain't really one for baking pie either," Herschel chuckled as he beamed at Beth.

Beth had begun to pick at the blades of grass around her when Daryl spoke up. "Nah, but she makes a great breakfast."

Her head jerked up and she caught Daryl smiling at her. The side of her own mouth quirked up and she coughed out a laugh herself. She saw Carol arch an eyebrow as she looked down at Daryl, and Beth felt her stomach clench. It had done that earlier when Carol had teased Daryl and the feeling had been confusing Beth to no end since.

"If yer gonna sing let's get this shitshow on tha road Sunshine," Merle grumbled out. Daryl lifted his leg up and lightly kicked Merle in the arm, knocking him off balance. "An' none of this teenie-bopper shit, kid," he added as he righted himself and shoved Daryl in return.

Beth closed her eyes and let her mind go blank. Whenever it was all too much for her to deal with she tried to close down her mind and let song lyrics come to her. She took a deep breath and let the words to the right song come to her.

' _Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood_ _  
_ _When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud_ _  
_ _I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form_ _  
_ _"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"_ __

 _And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured_ _  
_ _I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word_ _  
_ _In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm_ _  
_ _"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"_

Beth had opened her eyes and she saw the tension fall from Daryl's body as she sang. She looked to Merle, and his smile remained on his face, but the hard edge had left it, and he seemed at peace to her for the first time since she had met him.

 _Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved_ _  
_ _Everything up to that point had been left unresolved_ _  
_ _Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm_ _  
_ _"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"_ __

 _I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail_ _  
_ _Poisoned in the bushes an' blown out on the trail_ _  
_ _Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn_ _  
_ _"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"_

As she sang she kept her eyes on Daryl, who in turn kept his eyes on her. She felt the corners of her mouth lift to a smile all on their own, and immediately saw a blush splash across Daryl's cheeks. She heard Lori and T-Dog each start humming along with her as she sang, slowly followed by Maggie and then Andrea softly speaking the words of the chorus as she continued.

 _Suddenly I turned around and she was standin' there_ _  
_ _With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair_ _  
_ _She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns_ _  
_ _"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"_ __

 _Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost_ _  
_ _I took too much for granted, got my signals crossed_ _  
_ _Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn_ _  
_ _"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"_ __

 _Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount_ _  
_ _But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts_ _  
_ _And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn_ _  
_ _"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"_

Beth grinned openly now as she realized how their group fit into the lyrics of the song, seeing her daddy and Rick smile widely at one another. She kept her eyes on Daryl though, and felt her own blush work its way up her face to the roots of her hair.

 _I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove_ _  
_ _And old men with broken teeth stranded without love_ _  
_ _Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?_ _  
_ _"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"_ __

 _In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes_ _  
_ _I bargained for salvation an' they gave me a lethal dose_ _  
_ _I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn_ _  
_ _"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"_ __

 _Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line_ _  
_ _Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine_ _  
_ _If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born_ _  
_ _"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"_

Carol was the only one who seemed to notice that she and Daryl had been looking at each other throughout her song, and she glanced back and forth between them with a small frown.

"Well fuck girlie. That was some good shit," Merle muttered as she finished, breaking the spell between her and Daryl.

"Thank you Merle," she answered, turning her grin to him.

Merle stood up then and nudged Daryl's leg with his own. "C'mon Darylina, I need a drink, let's go."

Daryl rubbed his hands over his face and let out a groan. "Merle I'm fuckin' exhausted. Maybe tomorrow, ok?"

Beth felt the clench in her stomach again at the idea of Daryl choosing to stay with their group, but it turned to a chill when she looked up at Merle. He was staring down at Daryl and she could see his cheeks puffing as his breathing picked up. He lifted his eyes and looked at the rest of the group incredulously.

"Fine," he grumbled, and she heard him mutter something along the lines of, "Fuckin' pussies," under his breath as he stomped away.

Rick stood first, reaching down to help Lori to her feet. "We should get back to our places y'all, sun's goin' down and I think we all could use the rest."

"I think that's probably a good idea Rick," Herschel responded as he stood up.

"We should figure out where to meet though, if somethin' happens to this place when we aren't together," Rick suggested, looking around over his shoulders to see if anyone outside their group was listening to them.

"I've been here a month Rick, I don't think anything is going to happen," Andrea responded, her brow furrowing at Rick's suggestion. "There are people on the walls, they have guns. I think we're safe."

"We thought that 'bout the farm, ain't nothin' wrong wit' thinkin' ahead," Daryl mumbled, turning his head to look in the direction Merle had left.

"At the very least, so we don't get separated again," Lori added, smiling sadly at Andrea.

Andrea nodded quickly, acquiescing to Lori's words.

"That wall," Rick nodded his head to the wall opposite of the gate they had come through. "If somethin' happens to this place an' we need to run, we meet at that wall. Try an' stick together as much as we can. If we see anythin' better, we'll change the rendezvous point."

Everyone nodded and slowly pushed themselves to stand, letting out groans and grumbles as the weariness of the day's work seeped into their bodies. T-Dog and Andrea clasped hands in a parting gesture before Andrea made to move away from the group. Maggie hugged Beth and kissed Herschel before grabbing Glenn's hand and walking off to their apartment. Beth went to kiss her daddy's cheek as well and turned to see Carol give Daryl's forearm a squeeze before moving past her to join T-Dog and Herschel. Beth felt that stupid feeling in her stomach again. And this time she thought she might know what it meant.

Daryl interrupted her thoughts though. "C'mon Greene, let's see if ya can put this mornin's breakfast to shame," he teased as he cocked his head in the direction of their home.


	11. Smile for the Living

"So how was workin' construction today?" Beth asked as they made their way towards the apartment.

"S'ok," Daryl shrugged in response. He noticed that Beth had wrapped her arms around her middle and was keeping her eyes on the ground as they walked. Usually she looked right at a person when she talked to them; now she looked like she wanted to blend into the wall. "How was...whate'er they have you doin?" He mentally slapped himself that he couldn't even remember what job she'd been assigned to.

Thankfully Beth laughed at Daryl's stumble rather than take offense. She turned her head to him and he caught the spark behind her eyes as she kept the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile.

"They put us on sort of a rotation. We're doing laundry, gardenin', cookin'. It was ok, they showed us where everything was and had us get started on laundry duty for this week. Carol, Maggie, and I figure its useful for us to know our way around all the buildings in case we ever need to get out in a hurry."

Daryl nodded along and remembered to at least hold the door open for her when they got to the building where they were staying. He noticed that Beth looked around the inside of the entranceway before they slid into the building completely. Good to know her defenses weren't completely down either.

When they got inside the apartment, Daryl grabbed up one of the chairs from the dining area and wedged it under the doorknob. He'd realized this morning that the doors didn't lock, and he couldn't shake the image of someone coming in while they were sleeping. If they were expected to work normal hours, then neither he nor Beth could afford to stay up and take watch. Beth seemed to have picked up on all this without him saying anything, because when he turned around to face her, she simply nodded in approval and said, "It'll have to do."

Beth went through the cabinets and pulled down some cans and packets, humming to herself as she put dinner together.

"Ya wan' help Beth?" Daryl asked, leaning against the back of the couch. He knew it was right to offer, but god help them if she said yes. He knew his strengths, and cooking for anyone other than himself was not one of them.

"No thank you, Daryl," she replied without looking up from what she was doing. He must have made some sort of noise of relief, because she turned to look at him over her shoulder and he saw that she was trying to stifle a laugh. Daryl felt the edges of his mouth turn up at her amusement and to his delight, that only made her let loose with laughter. Shit. He knew he had to eventually acknowledge that it caused a warm pleasant sensation in his belly to make Beth laugh, but by the powers of his stubbornness, that time would not be now.

* * *

"Tell me something about yourself Daryl."

Daryl flicked his gaze up to Beth. She was sitting at the opposite end of the couch, and had pulled her feet up under her. She had managed to make them another full meal out of the stocks in their cabinets, and for the first time in months Daryl realized he and his group were not going to go to bed hungry.

He saw that she was still waiting for a response from him and shrugged at her. "The fuck you wan' ta know 'bout me for?" He heard the gruffness in his voice and felt like kicking himself when he saw Beth's enthusiasm wilt right in front of him. He groaned and narrowed his eyes at her. "Fiiiinnneee. Whatcha wan' know, Greene?"

Her smile picked back up again, and he had to catch himself before he rolled his eyes at her.

"Anything Daryl! We've known each other for at least a year now, we're living together. I should know stuff about you."

When he didn't answer she huffed a little and narrowed her own eyes at him. "Hmmm, ok. What do you miss the most about the old world?"

"I don' miss anythin' really. Ain't nothin' worth missin'."

He saw the moment she understood what he was telling her. His life since the walkers had come was better than the life he'd been living before. The threat of being eaten alive was something he had an easier time living with than the world they had lived in previously. The apocalypse suited Daryl Dixon just fine.

To her credit, she only nodded her head and managed to keep the pity out of her eyes. "How 'bout you?" he asked, trying to take the focus off himself.

"I think I miss how big the world used to be, you know?" When Daryl shook his head she continued, "Like, we had computers an' phones an' everything, it made everything feel like we could reach out an' touch it. I always thought I'd go somewhere, see the world a little bit before I settled down. But now, we don't have those things an' its almost impossible to go anywhere far. Goin' out of Georgia would be an undertakin' all its own. I feel like my world has shrunk. An' I guess its just hard to make the world feel small again."

Damn it. This girl. She was making his head spin. What the hell else did she have going on in her head? And for some reason that remained a mystery to him, he wanted to reach out and hug her. Daryl nodded once quickly and realized he had been staring at her again when she started to blush. He could trace where the color started in her chest and worked its way up her neck to her face to the roots of her hair.

"I know, I'm a silly girl," she chuckled out self-consciously and looked away from him. "Maggie always tells me that," she explained further.

"Naw girl, wasn' what I was thinkin'," he replied softly. Beth turned back to him and quirked a small smile.

"Thank you, Daryl."

A very loud pounding on the apartment door startled them both and Daryl felt like he'd been shaken from a fog. Beth dropped her feet to the floor and looked like she was ready to take off running. Daryl looked around for something to use as a weapon and tried to figure out how the hell he'd get the two of them out of their deathtrap of an apartment building. His gaze flicked up to Beth's, and the look of rising panic was clear on her face. Shit.

"Baby brother!" a voice called from the hallway.

Daryl felt the air rush from his lungs and dropped his eyes to the floor. He shook his head, embarrassed that Merle had come back to their apartment after he'd tried to keep him at arm's length tonight. He looked back up at Beth who was watching Daryl with confusion.

"He's drunk," Daryl muttered as a means of explanation. He felt the tips of his ears heat up and he knew he was the one blushing now. Fuck. "Can tell by his voice. We're ok," he assured her.

Beth dropped back against the couch and took a deep breath. "Habit's kind of hard to break I guess," she said, gesturing between the two of them, laughing at their reactions. "We're not very good at receivin' company it seems."

Daryl only nodded and went to the front door, taking his time to move the chair even though Merle continued to pound on the wall from the other side.

"Fuckin' cut it out Merle!" he hollered. Last thing he needed was them getting punished for Merle being a pain in the ass.

Merle stumbled into the apartment and let his eyes focus on Beth who was still curled up on the couch.

"Blondie!" he exclaimed and Daryl mumbled, "Name's Beth," under his breath, knowing his brother was choosing not to use her name but feeling like he should correct him all the same. Beth gave a small wave and a half-hearted smile from her place on the couch. She looked to Daryl, and he could only force himself to shrug in response. He didn't know why his brother was here.

"Would you like some dinner, Merle?" she asked, rising from the couch and picking up her and Daryl's used dishes from the table as she passed.

"Naw sugar, I got enough fire in my belly for the night," he replied, casually rubbing his stomach as she walked into the kitchen.

"Daryl, you done?" she called, "They actually have tupperware here if you can believe it. I can wrap up the leftovers if you're don't want more."

"Yeah, 'm done Beth," Daryl answered, keeping half an eye on Merle. He'd gotten a look on his face as Beth talked, one that Daryl recognized as the one he'd get when he was going to say something cruel just for the sake of it. Fuck. Fuck. Shit.

"Merle..." Daryl tried to cut him off at the pass before shit hit the fan.

"Fuck off Darylina," Merle muttered and waved him off. "Blondie, Daryl stick it to you yet? Y'all seem awfully cozy. First yer singin' for him and eye-fuckin' each other, now yer makin' him dinner and laid out on the couch waitin' for him to tell ya its ok to suck his dick."

"MERLE. Shut up!" Daryl went to move in front of Merle. He needed him away from Beth now. Things were going so well between them, and of course Merle had to come in and fuck it all up.

"Oh ho ho!" Merle whooped as he caught on to Daryl's embarrassment. Beth had come to stand in the entryway to the living room and was watching the two brothers with her arms crossed at her chest. "He hasn't! Oh Blondie! Well Baby Brother here has always been the sweet one. He'll take good care of you, 'specially since you're such a cute little thing. Daryl always liked the good girls we couldn' have. Mus' be like hittin' the fuckin' lottery huh Baby Brother? Ha! Literally!" Merle continued to chuckle as both Daryl and Beth's faces became more and more blushed.

"Get the FUCK out Merle!" Daryl's voice had begun to rise and he took the distraction of Merle laughing at his own stupid joke to push Merle by the shoulders towards the front door.

Merle raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine fine Baby Brother. But I'm jus' gonna leave this here for ya. Loosen yer girl up." He gave Daryl an exaggerated wink and pushed a mason jar of clear liquid into Daryl's hands. Before Daryl could process what Merle had said and shove the jar back at him, Merle had turned tail down the hallway.

Daryl slammed the door behind Merle and pulled the chair back up under the knob. He let his forehead drop with a loud _thunk_ against the front door and forced himself to turn around to face was looking down at the floor and still had her arms crossed.

"'M sorry Beth. Dumbass gets that way when he's trashed. Don' listen to the shit he says," Daryl stuck the tip of his thumb in his mouth and chewed on it while he waited for her response.

"Its ok," she released a long breath and brought her eyes up to meet Daryl's across the room. "What is it?" she asked, nodding her head at the jar in his hand.

"Shine I think, if its the same shit he gave me last night."

Beth nodded again. "Pour me a glass. I could use one."

He didn't think his eyes could get any bigger. A drink? Herschel I-Don't-Allow-Alcohol-In-My-House Greene's daughter wanted to drink moonshine?

"Thas' probably a bad idea. Yer daddy would beat me blind."

"My daddy doesn't live here Daryl." Beth took a measured step towards him. Shit.

"You have to work tomorrow Beth." He realized he was already against a wall and couldn't back up.

"So do you Daryl. So does Merle. Didn't stop him." She took another step forward. Shit. Shit.

Daryl decided to play the low blow card that would hopefully piss her off enough to change her mind. "Yer too young Beth."

To say his words had the desired effect would be an understatement.

"Daryl Dixon. I am 18 goddamn years old. I am in the goddamn apocalypse. I ain't got ID but I'm sure old enough to be goddamn married off to make babies. I lost the house I grew up in to a bunch of goddamn Walkers and I am living in a town straight outta the Twilight Zone that looks cleaner than the one I lived in before Walkers started showing up at my door. I. Want. A. God. Damn. Drink." She enunciated each word in her last statement to stand alone as she stepped towards him once more and reached for the jar of clear liquor in his hand.

Ok, his eyes may be bigger now. He handed the jar over to her and watched her stomp back to the kitchen. "Ain't e'er heard ya curse that much 'fore Greene," he called after her.

"Gonna tell on me?" she called back from the kitchen where he could hear her pulling glasses down from the cabinets.

"Nah," he mumbled in response. She came back out into the living room where he stood and handed him a glass with about a shot's worth of moonshine in it.

He followed her back around to sit on the couch again and watched her as she eyed her own glass. She looked up to him, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"I ain't ever had alcohol before," she admitted quietly.

"Thought you were in high school?" he asked with a slight chuckle.

She merely shrugged and said, "There never felt like there was time for that. I was a good kid, didn't really go to parties, never really was invited."

"Ain't worth it anyhow, if you ask me," he shrugged. "Parties are dumb. High school parties were bullshit."

"Good to know. I'm glad I have you here, Daryl."

He noticed that warmth spread across his belly again. Aw Christ.

She cleared her throat. "So," she raised her glass ceremoniously and smiled at him. "To the end of the world?"

He huffed out a hollow laugh. "Sure Greene - to the end of the world."

 _Clink._


	12. Stop For a Minute to See Where You Hide

**A/N: Sorry sorry sorry for taking so goddamn long to update! Grad school and work were taking up so much of my time, and I hope you all can forgive me! I'm out for the summer, which hopefully means more time to write. As always, thank you to all you wonderful people who follow and favorite this little story of mine, and your reviews always put a smile on my face. You guys are seriously the best.**

* * *

Beth was sure the look on her face must have been priceless. The sharp liquor felt like it was stripping the lining off her insides as it made its way down into her stomach. She managed to only let out a series of harsh coughs instead of the bile her body was trying to force back up. Yeah, she must have looked ridiculous, if Daryl's smirk was any indication. He smoothly took half his shot to cover up the smile she could see was fighting to overtake his face. She knew that any ground she'd won in standing up to him over drinking before had immediately been lost in her reaction to actually doing it.

To his credit though, he didn't say anything.

"Its your turn," she said, hoping that a subject change would take away some of the ire that was currently directed at her.

"My turn fer what, Greene?" he asked, arching an eyebrow and dropping the smile.

"I asked you a question about yourself. You wanna know anythin' 'bout me?" Beth felt a warmth flow across her chest and curl down into her belly. It felt soft and fuzzy and she felt like her anxiety was slipping away, or if it wasn't slipping away, she just didn't care about it. Huh, no wonder her daddy drank.

Daryl shifted uncomfortably in front her, looking around the apartment before finally letting himself look at her. He let out a deep sigh and swirled the clear liquor around in his glass. "Fine. How'd ya meet Jimmy?"

It was Beth's turn to raise her eyebrows. Nope, she hadn't been expecting that. She slowly opened the little box she tucked away in her heart that was filled with the memories of the people she'd lost. She looked down at her own empty glass and wished she hadn't drank everything down in one gulp. She could use some fuzziness right about now.

"Ferget it, I shouldna asked," Daryl was shifting away from her, and she could see him shutting down before her eyes.

"No, its ok. He's just..." she caught the worried expression on Daryl's face as she paused. "He's buried in the part of my head where my mama and Shawn are. An' Otis and Patricia. I haven' really let myself think 'bout them in a while."

She saw that her answer confused Daryl. Maybe he'd been expecting her to be more of a crier?

"I try not to cry anymore Daryl," she offered by way of explanation to ease his confusion. "Maggie says I should, but I don' know. There ain't much that cryin' can do to change things anymore."

Daryl, in all of his silent stoicism, simply nodded as she talked, and she couldn't have been more thankful for that. The last thing she needed was someone else scolding her the way Maggie would when they'd talk about the people she'd lost.

"I knew Jimmy growin' up," she started, realizing she still hadn't answered his question. "Went to grade school when we were kids, had classes together in middle school and high school. We actually had only gone on a couple dates when all this happened."

She watched Daryl's eyebrows raise again as she gestured loosely around her. She seemed to be confusing him a lot tonight.

"He drove me to our farm when school had sent us home early that last day. He stayed while Daddy was out in the fields with Otis, we were watchin' the news on the tv, watchin' as everything fell apart in the city. Patricia came by to pick up Otis, and said that town looked like it did when twisters were coming - everything was a mess. Daddy an' Otis came back an' talked some with Patricia, they didn' even think to include us - just let us go on watchin' the tv in the other room." Beth shrugged at her own petty frustrations. She remembered how mad she'd been at the time, how much she wanted to be a grown up. She'd gotten her wish, that's for damn sure, but funny how it wasn't the way she'd pictured it being.

"But yeah...Mama an' Shawn came home with Maggie from the store. Maggie was upset cuz it looked like some crazy person had attacked Mama while they were walkin' in the parkin' lot. Shawn had pushed the person off, an' got bit himself. Daddy cleaned them both up, but both Mama and Shawn didn' feel good an' went upstairs. Jimmy said somethin' 'bout goin' to check on his folks a while later, but Maggie started screamin' that Shawn was tryin' to bite her. She pushed him down the stairs to get him off her, and Daddy an' Otis locked him in the barn when they couldn' calm him down. Mama turned after that, an' they put her outside too. We were all so shaken up that we stayed up all night watchin' the news in the livin' room. We were frozen, it felt like. Jimmy didn' talk 'bout leavin' again til the next day when the tv stopped workin'. Daddy wen' with him to his farm down the road, but they came back an' Daddy jus' said that Jimmy's folks weren' there so he'd be stayin' with us til they came by. Said he left them a note. Said they'd come by when they got it. I knew Jimmy was waitin' on them. Was still waitin' on them when y'all showed up a couple months later. Sometimes I wonder if that note's still sittin on the counter in Jimmy's kitchen. Or if maybe they came by the farm after we all had run off. For a while I thought we might run into them when we were on the run in the woods, but when we didn' I kinda accepted that maybe they never even made it home in the first place."

Beth forced herself to look back at Daryl. Sometime during her talking she'd let her eyes get unfocused and she stared at the glass in her hands. He was watching her carefully, a small frown pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh dear," she muttered and let out a hollow laugh. "I was ramblin', I'm sorry. Look at me fussin' when you asked me a simple question." She laughed at herself and ran a weary hand down the length of her face.

Daryl cleared his throat and it brought a little life back into him. "Naw girl, 'm glad you told me. Never actually heard how it wen' down at the farm before we showed up. Honestly never thought to ask."

She watched him color at this confession and she shrugged in response. "S'ok, wasn' expectin' anyone to. Wasn' expectin' our lives to lead us here at all. Its weird to think back on it and remember how little we knew when it started, how scary it was when we thought they were just sick or gettin' attacked by crazies at the Piggly Wiggly."

Daryl grunted in response.

Beth cleared her own throat and set her glass down on the coffee table. "What did Merle mean earlier?"

She watched Daryl's eyes widen in what looked like fear as he processed her question. "Uh...which part?" he muttered, looking down at the couch. She could track the blush that was making its way across his face to the tips of his ears. She knew that the things Merle said had embarrassed Daryl, and she could let most of those things roll off her own shoulders, but one thing stuck around in her mind.

"Jesus not anythin' dirty Daryl," she assured him and laughed at his discomfort.

She watched him deflate a little, and the edge of panic left his eyes as he looked at her expectantly. "Mosta what he says is dirty...or rude...so yer gonna have to narrow it down."

Beth shifted to fold her legs up underneath her. "When he said that you always liked the good girls you couldn't have?"

The color returned to Daryl's face and he frowned down at his glass again before tossing the rest of his drink down his throat. He shrugged his shoulders and set the glass down on the table next to hers. "Don' know. I ain' really...dated...much. At all really. Liked girls when we was younger but Merle'd always scare 'em off. I guess they were nice enough then. Merle liked rougher women, said he wanted a woman who could hold her own, probably so he wouldn' feel like he had to do anythin' fer her and could do his own shit."

Beth fought the temptation to roll her eyes - yes that sounded like Merle. "But what about you Daryl?" she prompted.

I jus' went where Merle went. I was jus' an asshole who had an even bigger asshole fer a brother. Guess my...interactions wit' girls followed his lead too." Daryl's embarrassment was obvious but he met Beth's gaze with defiance. She could tell he was challenging her to criticize his life.

Beth held his gaze and let a small smile slip on to her face. "What about now? You ain' been with Merle for well over a year. You could make a clean start on that front too." Beth couldn't believe she'd just said that. She had no idea where it had come from. But the Daryl she knew clashed with the Daryl he described himself as from before the turn. If there was ever a world for Daryl Dixon to succeed in, she figured this was it.

Daryl smirked at her and shook his head. "Still don' know shit 'bout girls, Greene. But it looks like yer stuck with my sorry ass while I figure my shit out, kid."

Beth bristled at the term, "kid". Oh great. So Daryl, her "husband", even thought she was still a child. She tried to bury the disappointment she felt at that realization, but the coldness of it had already replaced the soft warmth in her chest that she'd been enjoying.

"Yes, well. I guess so." Even Beth could hear the sudden change in her tone. Daryl's eyes narrowed and his focus locked on to her face. She tried to shrug off her frostiness, but it was taking root around her heart. "I should go ta bed Daryl. Thanks for drinking with me. Sorry ya had ta listen ta me blather on all night." She stood up and moved quickly to the other side of the couch and watched his face crease with worry. She heard her accent coming out thicker, and she knew she was getting upset. Maggie always said she could tell when Beth was going to cry or yell because her southern would come out.

"Beth..." Daryl reached his hand out as if to stop her from taking off.

"Don' worry 'bout nothin' Daryl, see you in the mornin'," she turned on her heel and rushed down the hallway. At her door she paused and turned her ear to the living room. She could hear Daryl say something to himself as he flopped back against the couch. She watched as he turned the lights out and then she slid into the bedroom, clicking the door shut behind her as quietly as she could.


	13. Leave Me Lost in a Far Off Land

Daryl woke to the smell of coffee again. He lifted his head to peer over the back of the couch and took in the empty kitchen in front of him. He didn't realize he had expected to see Beth standing in there until it hit him that she wasn't. Daryl felt a panic overtake him as he jumped off the couch. He moved quietly down the hallway towards the bedroom where Beth had been sleeping and knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again, louder this time. "Beth!" he hollered. Still nothing. He cracked open the door and prayed to whatever god was listening that he wasn't about to walk in on a naked teenage girl. That was probably Merle's fantasy, not his. The bedroom was lit with the sun shining through the drawn curtains, the bed made up like it had been when they had first arrived. And it was empty. Daryl felt his heart start to beat faster as the total absence of Beth's presence settled on him. He turned back down the hallway and threw open the bathroom door, not even caring this time if she was naked in there. He'd suffer a slap in the face to settle the pounding in his chest. There wasn't any steam on the mirror, she hadn't taken the time to shower before disappearing.

Daryl bent over and braced his hands on his knees, drawing in deep breaths. The same visions of Beth being pulled out of their apartment by strangers swarmed his head again; the idea of her trying to scream out for him, but Gorman's dirty hand covering her mouth overwhelmed him and he felt like he was choking. He'd been fucking _asleep_ and she disappeared _._

He stood up again and turned back to the living room. His eyes narrowed as he approached the kitchen. It was empty, but there was a plate sitting on the counter next to a cup of coffee. Both were still steaming - she couldn't have been gone long. Wait. The bed had been made too. Daryl cut his eyes to the front door and saw the chair he'd stuck under the doorknob was sitting next to the door. It wasn't laying on the ground like someone had busted in on them, it was placed there, evidently by a tiny blonde girl who had no head for self preservation.

He knew she'd been pissed last night, but Daryl couldn't figure out what he'd said to mess everything up. She'd opened up to him about the farm, and he felt like a right asshole for never thinking to even ask Herschel or Maggie, or hell, even Beth about how Annette or Shawn had died before their group rolled up. He had heard her tone ice over suddenly after he'd answered her question about his lack of romantic history, hell he'd even tried to flirt with her a little about the situation they were stuck in together.

Daryl paused. Shit. She'd freaked out right after he'd heavy-handedly tried to flirt with her. No wonder she took off. Daryl felt a blush creep up his neck as he scolded himself for letting that moonshine get the better of him. He couldn't believe he'd gone and made Herschel's daughter uncomfortable by drunkenly hinting at being ok with getting paired off with her. This place and its ideals were barbaric; he knew that, Beth knew that. In the harsh sobering light of day there was no pretending that this was anything other than it was - bullshit. But bullshit or not, that girl shouldn't have run off without him to watch her back. They were in this together; and until their group got a better read on this fucking place, he thought it was pretty well understood that they were all on their guard. The last thing they needed was anyone getting hurt while they were stuck here. Daryl roughly ran a hand over his face and managed to choke down the breakfast she'd left for him. He'd have a talk with Beth after work, they needed to sort this shit out.

* * *

His body was still healing, he had to remind himself of this. After working another day of construction, he, Glenn, Rick, and T-Dog were sprawled out on the grass again, each groaning as they took time to stretch their aching muscles.

"You'd think after running for so long we'd be in pretty good shape," T- Dog complained as he reached his arms above his head.

"Right? The apocalypse came with that weight-loss guarantee. I for one am not pleased with the results, and I plan on writing a strongly worded letter," Glenn teased from where he lay spread out on the grass. He kept his eyes closed and smirked when T-Dog lightly kicked him in response.

"Runnin' ain't the same as workin' I guess," Rick smiled as he spoke. "But you're right, we need to keep building our strength up, we're not exactly combat-ready."

Glenn opened his eyes and peered up at Rick. "Are we fighting already?"

Daryl had cut his eyes over to Rick as well. "You feel it too?" he asked.

Rick nodded. He rubbed a hand over his face and let out a long sigh. "Somethin's off. Phillip's off."

Daryl grunted in agreement.

"What gets me is this 'paired' shit. It's weird, right?" T-Dog looked back and forth between the other men. "I mean, I don' have to deal with it. But I know Herschel's worried, no offense man," he added, pointedly looking over at Daryl.

Daryl shrugged it off. He'd be concerned too if he was Herschel. His eighteen year old daughter shacked up with a redneck twice her age and expected to make babies with him? He'd have flipped his shit by now if it were him. He looked over at Rick.

"You worried for Carl?" he asked, realizing that if they did make this place their home, Rick's kids - fuck, his kids, if the _Governor_ had his way - would be subject to this system as well.

Daryl watched as a shadow crossed Rick's expression. Rick sighed again and nodded. "Yeah," he admitted quietly. "I don't know what else to do though. Lori had a lot of trouble when we had Carl; doctor said she wouldn't have made it if she hadn't been in a hospital. I don't know what to do, to be honest." He looked around at the others, and Daryl knew he wanted their input.

"Well...," Daryl started. "We could stay til she has the kid, then get the hell outta this creepy ass place."

T-Dog nodded in agreement. "Dixon's right, we don't want Lori to get hurt on account of anythin'. But I don' like it here. You two are the ones actually affected by this shit," he gestured to Daryl and Glenn. "What do you think?"

Glenn shrugged from where he still lay on the ground. "It isn't real different for us, Maggie and I were already together."

"What about the kids thing?" T-Dog replied.

Glenn opened one of his eyes and looked at them before frowning slightly. "Hopefully that won't be happening for a while."

"Whaddya mean?" Daryl asked. He knew Maggie and Glenn had been fooling around since the farm, and it sure as hell didn't slow down once they were on the run. Every place they went, the first thing Glenn looked for was condoms. Daryl remembered thinking at the time that Glenn was an idiot for thinking with his dick instead of his head, now he wasn't so sure.

"We had a few condoms on us when we came in, still have them." Glenn shrugged again. "Maggie thinks she found out where to get more. She said someone who she and the others girls work with told her they could get her and Beth more if they needed them. Kind of like a black market?"

Daryl felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Someone was offering Beth rubbers? He felt the heat rise up his neck. Did she accept them? Was this something he was actually going to have to follow through with? Did she expect him to follow through? Then Merle's words came thundering back to him.

 _Don' try nothin' stupid neither Daryl. They find any pills or condoms or anything they'll punish both yer asses._

"Merle said y'all could get in real trouble if they find out 'bout that shit man," he warned Glenn.

"Merle's an asshole," Glenn replied nonchalantly.

"Truth," T-Dog agreed. "No offense Daryl."

Daryl rolled his eyes. "I know that, I ain't stupid," he growled at the other men. "He's a lot, but I don' think he'd lie 'bout that shit. Said they'd punish both people if they found any type o' protection."

Glenn had opened his eyes while Daryl was talking. He nodded this time and looked over at Rick.

"Don' think he'd lie either. He doesn't like any of us, so I don' think he'd go out of his way to keep us safe if there was a real threat," Rick agreed, nodding at Daryl.

"I'll tell Maggie," Glenn agreed quietly.

"What about you Dixon?" T-Dog prompted after a few moments of silence.

"What?" Daryl replied, creasing his brows in confusion.

"You got 'paired'. How's Beth doin'?" T-Dog made quotation marks with his fingers as he talked.

Daryl felt his stomach turn over. His first reaction was to tell T-Dog to mind his own fucking business. No one, not Merle or Rick or Maggie or anyone, had any business talking about him and Beth. But he looked around the small group and took the time to really take them in. Rick's face was one of pure concern; Glenn's and T-Dog's held similar expressions of camaraderie and care. These men gave a shit about him, he needed to remind himself of that.

It was Daryl's turn to shrug. "Hard to tell. She was pissed at me last night, but 'fore that we were fine. She don' like this whole system here either. Don' really blame her, girl's stuck with me fer a roommate."

T-Dog let out a loud laugh and slapped Daryl on the shoulder. "Man, you ain't her roommate, you're her _man_."

"S' not like that," Daryl muttered and swatted T-Dog's hand away. "She's a kid. She's Herschel's kid. I can' do that, shit'd be wrong. Especially now! Ain't got a choice in the matter and I ain't gonna take advantage of that."

"Naw man, I know," T-Dog assured him. "Y'all are family, the only one we all got left. I know you ain't gonna pull that kind of shit."

"Technically she isn't a kid," Glenn piped up. "I mean, if we're being _technical_ about it."

Daryl let out a long sigh. "Shut up Chinaman." He and T-Dog started laughing at the indignant look on Glenn's face.

"I'm Korean!" Glenn exclaimed, trying and failing to hold back his own laughter. "It's been a year man, get it right!"


	14. Don't You Worry There, My Honey

Herschel ambled within view of the group of men, he was lightly grasping Lori's elbow and quietly responding to something she said. Behind them was Andrea, a wide smile spreading across her face as she listened to Carl animatedly explain something, his arms spread wide and his hands moving quickly as he talked. Daryl felt himself almost smile at the picture they painted; _peace_ , the word came to his mind, _they seem at peace_. He realized he hadn't seen his group so calm and so... _normal_ in a long time. Well ever, if he wanted to look at it closely. Walkers and crazy people don't exactly make for serene dispositions, especially surviving in a group as large as theirs.

Rick lifted a hand in greeting, waving to the small group as they made their way over to the grassy space where the men reclined. Carl broke away from Andrea and launched himself at Rick, who in turn let out an exaggerated groan at the impact. Lori laughed at their antics and used Herschel's hand to make her way slowly to the ground. She placed a small kiss on Rick's cheek and offered a quiet greeting to the rest of the men.

"You all seem bushed, what's the matter?" Herschel asked, the hint of a teasing smile turning up the corners of his mouth.

"Unlike some people, they have us doing actual work, old man," T-Dog replied, chuckling at the surprised expressions on Daryl and Glenn's faces. Daryl had never really let his guard down enough to tease anyone, let alone the patriarch of their rag-tag family. He knew Glenn was still finding his footing with his father-in-law, and now Daryl supposed that extended to him as well. _Fuck, when did it all get so complicated?_

Herschel laughed loudly, letting a full toothy smile overtake his face. Daryl could see the similarities between him and Beth; not necessarily in looks, but father and daughter both let themselves go when they laughed, letting their joy take over their bodies and roll through them. That reminded him...

"Herschel, ya seen Beth at all?"

Herschel arched an eyebrow at him. _Make that similarity number two_ , Daryl thought to himself. Evidently he was on the receiving end of that look from both Greenes.

"She left tha apartment this mornin' 'fore I woke up," he ventured to explain further.

"No son, I haven't," Herschel said slowly, continuing to observe Daryl. "There a reason I should be worried?"

 _Fuck shit_. He really did not want to open this can of worms as to why Beth snuck out of their apartment, and in turn, why presumably she was avoiding Daryl. Herschel knowing that he had flirted with Beth was bad enough, Beth being pissed didn't help none. _Fuck this place and their stupid pairing system_ , it was going to cause him grief, he was sure of that much.

"Nah," he answered, fighting the urge to chew on the pad of his thumb. "S'no reason, jus' don' know where tha girl's at, wanted ta make sure she's ok, an' nothin's wrong."

He really hoped his vague clarification would satisfy Herschel. Herschel nodded and then let a small smile cross his mouth. He looked like he had a joke he was trying to keep from laughing at. "Sorry son, I haven't seen her today. Maggie and Carol are coming though, they should've seen her," he motioned behind Daryl, pointing out the two women's arrival. Sure enough, Maggie and Carol were rounding the corner of a building, both looking around the square until they spotted their group. Except...

No Beth.

Fuck.

Daryl felt his eyes narrow as he scanned around the square searching for a flash of blonde hair or a peal of musical laughter. Why wasn't anyone else in his group worried? This place wasn't anything to settle into. Either they weren't freaked out by her absence, or they covered it better than he did - which, it struck him, would be a first for him. He was usually the image of placid composure, even if he was freaking the fuck out on the inside, it never paid to let it show on his face; he learned that shitty lesson early on.

He felt like he needed a cigarette, sharp craving pains making him antsy. He felt like he was about to jump up and start hollerin' at Maggie and Carol, felt like maybe he needed to go run laps even though his muscles were screaming at him to stay the fuck still. God he felt like he was panicking, and he swears to Jesus himself he hasn't felt like this since before the world ended.

And then there she is.

She's a few feet behind Maggie and Carol, slow to turn around the corner they came from. She looks ok - blonde and shiny and a little smile dancing across her lips and _safe_ \- and he feels like he can breathe again. _What the actual fuck is the matter with him?_

He's just catching his breath when it processes in his head that she's not alone. She's talking to some guy, some _young_ guy. She's still got that small smile and she's looking at this guy as he talks and talks _and keeps fucking talking_ to her. Daryl feels like he's willing her to look at him. _C'mon girl, look up, look up_.

And amazingly, she does.

She looks up at him, and she almost smiles. But then her smile drops and Daryl can't figure out why until everything is shifting around him and it suddenly occurs to him that he's stood up and is moving towards her. Well, stomping actually. He feels like he's pounding the ground with each step he takes and pain is shooting up his legs, screaming at him to _cut it out now_.

He wishes he listened.

* * *

Beth had woken up with the sun, and although the slight pounding on the inside of her skull urged her to try and sleep a little longer, she decided she'd rather just get up. She needed water - a lot of it, if the dryness in her mouth was anything to go by. She forced herself out of bed and pulled the sheets back up to make it as neatly as she could. It was stupid, she admitted that; but making her bed when the world was falling apart around her made everything feel just a tiny bit better.

She stripped off the boxers and t-shirt she had slept in, folding them back up and placing them in Daryl's dresser. She pulled on her jeans and a sleeveless shirt, pausing to look in the mirror that had been hung above a set of drawers across from the bed. She took in her appearance slowly, taking in one feature at a time. Long legs, thin but strong; sharp hipbones rubbing against the waistband of her jeans; a flat stomach and a tiny waist, rising up to meet each of her harshly defined ribs; skinny arms, chicken arms as Shawn used to tease her, all of her farm-worked muscle worn thin from the months of being on the road; a white-pale scar cutting across a wrist; a thin face, large eyes taking up so much of it; and hair, so much hair, yellowed by the sun and blown wild by the wind. It was easier to take in each part of her separately, less harsh to catalog each piece. She had spent so much time simply trying to survive this...whatever this state of the world was...that the skinny fawn-like girl who was reflected back at her was almost a stranger.

Almost.

She could see hints of herself in there. The slight crooked line of her nose (that her mama had sworn no one could see) from when it had gotten broken in a fist-fight with Maggie. The tinges of gold in her hair that her daddy had always said reminded him of a candle. The slight swell of her breasts that had never seemed like much until they had run out of food and for some reason her body didn't give them up. The hard lines of her thighs, muscle long strengthened from ballet classes and horseback riding. She was in there, and maybe she'd come back out now that they weren't running.

Her meditations were interrupted by a cough from the living room. _Shit_ , she thought, _Daryl_. She colored as she thought back to her behavior from the night before. She didn't like being called a kid, so she threw a tantrum and refused to talk to Daryl and went to bed. _Good call Greene,_ she chastised herself. She had been curious about Daryl, intrigued really. To her surprise, he'd actually started to open up to her in his own way; it was slow and roundabout, but it was still sharing. And then of course she had to go and get pissy over a stupid comment. She liked Daryl, he made her feel safe. He was also funny and self-deprecating and protective and attentive and...

What?

What was she _doing_?

Beth reached for her boots and pulled them on roughly, stomping her heels down to wedge her feet in that last difficult inch. Her last hair elastic had broken the night before, so her mane would just have to remain untamable. She touched the small braid buried in her hair, making sure it was still in place. Her talisman, her testament to the pride her mother took in her hair. Bethy, the golden child with the princess hair.

She ran a hand across her face, breaking the spell she'd let herself fall under. Walking out of the bedroom and down the hall, she was surprised to find Daryl still asleep on the couch. He barely ever slept when they were out on the road, and she'd been up before him the last two mornings; maybe his body was finally telling him to rest. _Or maybe he ain't used to the alcohol_ , _and neither are you,_ a voice in her head whispered, sounding surprisingly like her mama's when she had lectured Maggie on the dangers of drinking one night when she'd been caught sneaking into the house. Beth rolled her eyes at herself; _Mama's gone, cut it out_.

She made breakfast and coffee, not taking too much care to be quiet, but Daryl never stirred. She stood in the doorway to the kitchen as she drank her coffee and watched him while he slept. He looked so much younger this way, the lines around his eyes and the scowl around his mouth eased away with the calm escape of sleep. Jesus Christ what a right moron she was for stomping off last night. She felt the warm heat of something that seemed an awful lot like embarrassment spread through her chest and suddenly she really didn't want Daryl to wake up. If possible, she'd like to buy herself just a couple more hours time before she had to face him, looking at her with that disappointed scowl that she just knew he would have. This...this fondness she was developing for her...roommate? partner? _husband_? whatever the hell he was...well, it was something she didn't want to spoil yet. Him looking at her the way she was worried he'd look at her was already twisting her stomach up in knots; him looking at her like he did back when they were both awake next to that fire in the woods, or like he did back at the farm, like she was weak. Like she was just another dead girl biding her time.

Beth placed her coffee mug and breakfast plate in the sink, brushed her teeth, moved the chair from under the doorknob, and peaked over her shoulder at Daryl's sleeping form. He was still sprawled out over the length of the couch, he wouldn't see her giving into cowardice this one time. So she left.

* * *

Work had gone smoothly; Beth could feel the reassuring hum of her muscles trying to play catch up with physical labor, dancing along her arms and legs as she exerted herself throughout the day. She also took a small comfort in the fact that she was actually contributing to a community once again. She was someone who could work, she wasn't dead yet, she wasn't just someone who had to be protected, she could do things.

Maggie, Carol, and Beth had been talking to some of the other girls they'd been assigned to work with in the laundry this week, and Beth had stumbled through an awkward conversation about condoms that she didn't know if she'd ever recover from. She knew Maggie was having sex, they'd talked about it for years before Glenn had even shown up. She had ever tried her hand at lecturing Maggie once they had learned of Lori's pregnancy, warning her that more so now than ever she needed to be careful . Maggie had brushed her off, the way she always had. Beth continually considered herself to be the nervous, hovering moth to Maggie's bright brave flame. But when the girls they were speaking with had offered to get them condoms, Beth remained wide-eyed and shook her head, hustling to carry on with hanging bed sheets on the line.

They were leaving for the day, heading to the grassy square in the middle of the town when a boy sidled up to her, completely catching her off guard to the point where she had to hold back a startled yelp.

"Hi," he began jovially. "I'm Zack."

"Beth," she returned quietly, giving him an easy smile in an attempt to calm her nerves.

"I heard you singing last night, you were...well you were amazin'."

Beth smiled a bit wider, her manners emerging to take over the awkwardness that this new world had created in her. She had always been the first to be kind, the first to go out of her way to help. Now though, now people just made her nervous.

"Thank you," she replied quietly.

"How long you been here?" he asked. His smile didn't seem to leave his face, Beth noticed. It wasn't a cruel smile, one hiding intentions or meanness. Maybe he was just one of the nice ones, maybe someone who could be a friend.

"We jus' got here a couple days ago," she answered. "You?"

"Been here a couple months, came in on my own. I'm from Ohio, I was down here for school when shit hit the fan. You were with a big group, did all you guys come in together?"

This man just talked and talked, she mused. She was almost impressed at how much Woodbury seemed to make people go back to the way they had been, back to _normal_.

"Yeah, s'my family. Some of them have been together since everything started, they came to our farm a while after, we been together since."

"Oh, so not your real family then?"

He looked almost...happy? encouraged? Maybe she wasn't as bad at conversing as she thought she was.

"Well, I guess. Kinda. My daddy and my sister are here. E'ryone else is family too though. When ya have to rely on people to survive, don' they become family?" Beth felt herself smile when she thought of her group. They were, they were her family.

He nodded his acquiescence, and continued on. "You said you had a farm? That's pretty cool. Why'd you leave it?"

She felt the same pang in her heart that made itself known every time she thought about leaving her childhood home. Her room, her pictures, her Mama, Shawn...they were all left behind. But she was alive. And so was Daddy. And Maggie. Daryl. Glenn. Rick. Lori. Carl. Carol. T-Dog. The baby that was coming sooner rather than later. And now Andrea too. They had all gotten out; they had survived.

"Overrun," she replied simply. There was nothing else to say to a stranger to get him to understand.

"I'm sorry, that was a stupid question," he answered nudging her arm with his.

"S'ok," she stated softly, returning his smile.

"Like I said, your singing was great!" He was obviously trying to change the subject for her benefit. So she let him.

"Yeah, ya said. Thank you."

He laughed, it was easy, this interacting with him. She realized she missed this, the simplicity of talking to someone new, getting to know them for the sake of getting to know them. She was just beginning to let herself slip into an appreciative sense of calm when she felt the hairs rise up on the back of her neck. She looked up and saw Daryl looking at her from across the square. She smiled at him without thinking about her dramatics from last night, without remembering the horrible pressures they found themselves under, without the blush-inspiring crudeness of Merle's words or talk of condoms with strangers; she merely smiled, at him.

Beth faltered though as Daryl stood up and trudged towards her with all the fire of an angry bull and none of the quiet stalking grace she'd become accustomed to with him. _Shit_ , was the only word she was able to process before he reached her and Zack, who looked appropriately nervous at being within the scope of this frightening man's wrath.

"Hey Daryl," Beth used her softest voice to greet the man, acting like she would if she were approaching Nervous Nellie.

"Where the fuck you been Beth?" Daryl practically spit the words out at her.

Startled. Yes, startled was the word for what she was feeling. This is what he was mad about?

"Ummmm...work, why?" she replied.

"You weren't fuckin' there this mornin'. Nobody's seen yer ass all day."

"Yes, I was at work," she stated again. _What the hell?_

Daryl's eyes shifted over to Zack. "Tha fuck is this?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"This is Zack, he was tellin' me about himself, said he liked my singin'," Beth smiled, letting herself enjoy the compliment.

"Hi there," Zack reached out his hand to shake Daryl's and Beth wished she had a camera to capture the incredulous look on Daryl's face. He was staring at Zack like he'd lost his mind. "Are you Beth's father?"

 _Oh fuck_ , Beth thought to herself. And she never thought that word. Ok, well rarely she thought that word.

She watched Daryl's fists clench and Zack slowly moved his hand back to rest at his side, unshaken.

"Um, no. Zack, Daryl is my...," Beth waved her hand back and forth between her and Daryl.

"We're together," Daryl growled out.

It was Zack's turn to sputter. He honestly was rendered speechless at Daryl's words. _Was it really that hard to believe_? Beth thought to herself. Daryl was handsome, she didn't see their relationship (forced as it was) as so totally inconceivable.

Beth tried to shake herself free from the warm feeling in her belly at Daryl's declaration. _God she really was a stupid girl._

She was jarred from her thoughts by Daryl's rough hand wrapping around her thin arm and pulling her away from Zack.

"C'mon girl, yer _actual_ father's lookin' fer ya," Daryl muttered as he moved them back towards the rest of their group.

She looked up at Daryl and could read worry in his eyes. "What's the matter with daddy?" she asked.

"Nothin," he answered, his voice still gruff. "Jus' wanted ya to get away from that kid."

Beth felt the warmth she'd been reveling in spark into something seething and hot. "Are ya kiddin' me Daryl?"

"What?" he stopped and looked down at her, real confusion marring his expression.

"I ain't yours to own. I can talk to who I want, I can make friends with who I want. I don't need you comin' over and bein' rude to someone jus' cuz they want to talk to me!"

"Well, ya don' get to sneak outta the house jus' cuz yer pissed at me! S'bullshit Beth! Yer too fuckin' young ta jus' go out there when ya don' know who's good and who's bad. Ya don' know!"

"What?!" Beth had known their voices were getting louder the longer they went back and forth. She also knew she had practically screeched at him this time, but she couldn't help it. "I ain't a kid. I ain't too young to know things in this world. I ain't useless. I ain't jus' another dead girl!"

"S'not what I meant Beth..." he mumbled, he looked like he'd been slapped in the face.

"Forget it Daryl! You want to be together, in a relationship? _Fine_. But I ain't doin' it t'night Daryl. I can't even with ya right now!"

Beth watched the weight of her words, all of her words, sink in before she turned away. She wasn't dead, so she would fight; even if tonight she was only fighting Daryl.


	15. Searching for a Sweet Surrender

**A/N: I'm loving that I'm getting pretty much entirely divided reviews about Daryl and Beth's behavior. Remember my darlings, this is early on in TWD timeline, so our two favorite characters still have so much growing up to do. I wanted to write their fight so that there wasn't a clear person at fault, because let's face it, that's how real life is a lot of the time.**

 **I also wanted to take a moment to thank you all from the bottom of my Bethyl shipper heart for taking the time to follow/fav/review my little story. With my last chapter, you wonderful people got me to 100 reviews, which is absolutely goddamn mindblowing for me!**

 **You're all beautiful, don't change.**

* * *

Daryl felt like he'd been punched in the gut. And had whiplash. _What the fuck?_ When he had gotten up and stalked over to Beth he'd been seeing red and he felt like his anger and panic had taken over him, blinded him to seeing logic and acting with patience when talking to her... and then Beth had said those words. Well, screamed those words at him was more accurate. He had been at war with himself since they'd walked through Woodbury's gates over whether Beth Greene was still a kid, and now he worried that as time wore on his stupid mind would continue to see her as such less and less. So to hear her refer to herself as useless...as dead... The visceral reaction was so instantaneous that it had snapped him out of his red-blind crazy display. She was anything but, and no matter how quickly he tried to back pedal, he knew his words and hers would remain between them, hanging in the air like a barrier, a hazy cloud that kept them apart and away from the comfort he'd begun to recognize in her company.

He couldn't take back the shit he'd spewed at her, and she didn't seem inclined to take back the shit she'd yelled at him. This was a fuckin' mess. _No way to make it worse_. And so he left.

* * *

Beth watched Daryl stomp off from where she had plopped herself down on the ground next to her father.

"What was that about Doodlebug?" he asked, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Beth took a moment to look around at the other members of their group. Everyone was making a point of avoiding eye contact with her, and she felt the heat of embarrassment catch up as they all purposely looked away from her or off in random directions _. Aw crap_.

"'M sorry everyone, it was stupid of me to yell so much. Didn' mean to make y'all uncomfortable," she rushed out an apology and tried to set her head back on straight. "Glenn, cut it out. I know you ain't lookin' at anything o'er there!" She couldn't help chastising him as he obviously made to stare determinedly off to his left, he looked ridiculous and he wasn't fooling anybody.

Glenn's sheepish smile encouraged her to let one spread across her own face. "You _were_ being a bit of a drama queen Beth," he teased.

She forced out a laugh at her own expense. "I know, I know. And 'm really sorry 'bout it."

It felt like her admission was what was needed to break the tension surrounding them, and everyone went back to actually making small talk with one another, rather than simply pretending to.

"It's good to be humble Bethy," he father whispered, leaning over to her conspiratorially.

Beth turned and gave him a small smile. "I know Daddy, it was stupid of me to get mad so mad at Daryl. I jus'...," she paused to find the right words. "I jus' get so frustrated I guess. I feel like I'm supposed to be an adult, an' most of the time I feel like one. An' then I get all upset like a little kid and huff off. But Daryl's called me a kid twice in the last day and it gets under my skin! I hate it! I hate when he says it and I get all worked up and start actin' like a crazy woman."

Herschel was looking at her with that small smile tugging at his lips again. "Bethy, he was real worried about you before you came 'round that corner, talkin' ta that boy. I think he was all worked up 'cause he was scared somethin' happened to you," he offered gently.

"Well I don' know 'bout that Daddy," she replied, looking off in the direction Daryl had left in. "I think he just likes to keep an eye on everyone in the group. I probably shouldn't have snuck off this morning before he woke up, 'm sure that didn' help none. Everyone else was already accounted for, I was just the last one, takin' my sweet time."

"Whatever you say Doodlebug," he replied, a full smile taking over his face.

"You think I should go after him?" she asked, trying her hand at interpreting his smile.

"No need," Herschel answered, nodding his head in the direction past her right shoulder. "Boy's come back on his own."

Beth turned to follow her father's gaze and spotted Daryl's hunched figure amongst the other residents of Woodbury who'd begun to mill around in the public space. He was walking back towards them, _back towards her_ , she hoped. Daryl had his hands shoved deep in his pockets and kept his eyes low in front of him.

"Daryl!" Carol called out to him. She raised her hand in a wave to get his attention.

He looked up suddenly, as though startled, and nodded in response to the greeting, quickly returning his eyes to the ground in front of him. He dropped next to Carol, who had scooted over to make space for him and brought his knees up in front of him, wrapping his arms around them tightly.

"You finish up your temper tantrum?" T-Dog chided, laughing as Daryl narrowed his eyes and shot him a look.

"Ain't no where ta walk in this damn town," he mumbled in response. "Ain't got ma crossbow, can' leave the walls, might as well come back here."

Beth couldn't help the embarrassed flush that she was sure was spreading across her chest and face. Damn it, she could feel in the roots of her hair. She wanted to apologize here, now, make it better. But the look on Daryl's face made her think that maybe he was just as embarrassed as she was that everyone had seen them fight, and she didn't think a public apology was something he would appreciate.

"Can ya sing Bethy?" Herschel implored, softly nudging her with his shoulder. She realized that he was attempting to jostle her from her thoughts, and with increasing mortification she became conscious of the fact that she had been openly staring at Daryl for who knows how long, and in the mean time everyone had fallen silent.

She shook her head to break the spell and turned her head to her father, "Again? Daddy I'm sure everyone's sick of hearin' me sing."

Lori spoke up then. "Beth honey, it actually makes the baby kick whenever you sing. I think it wants to hear more."

Beth looked up and met Lori's smile. She rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh. "Now yer just bein' manipulative!"

"C'mon Beth," Rick encouraged, resting his hand on Lori's stomach. "Baby ain't kickin' right now, could use some motivation, I'm sure."

Beth continued to laugh as she shook her head at Rick and Lori's easy teasing.

"Sing, girl," Daryl's rough voice broke through her laugh and she glanced up across the loose circle. He was picking at some grass to the side of him and staring at his own hands, but met her eyes after a moment. The corner of his mouth twitched, and Beth knew that this was the only acknowledgment of error on his part that she was going to get from him. And for some reason, that was ok with her. She let a small soft smile dance across her face and gave Daryl a tiny nod. _It was enough. They could be ok_.

"Ugggghhh fine!" she laughed fully now, feeling the weight of today ease off her shoulders as the second corner of Daryl's mouth followed the other, he was almost smiling now. She'd take it.

 _Oh I'm a mess right now  
Inside out  
Searching for a sweet surrender  
But this is not the end  
I can't work it out  
How going through the motions  
Going through us  
And oh I've known it for the longest time  
And all of my hopes  
All of my own words  
Are all over written on the signs  
But you're on my road  
Walking me home_

 _See the flames inside my eyes_  
 _It burns so bright I wanna' feel your love_  
 _Easy baby maybe I'm a liar_  
 _But for tonight I wanna' fall in love_  
 _Put your faith in my stomach_

 _I messed up this time_  
 _Late last night_  
 _Drinking to suppress devotion_  
 _With fingers intertwined_  
 _I can't shake this feeling now_  
 _We're going through the motions_  
 _Hoping you'd stop_

 _And ohhh I've only caused you pain_  
 _I know but all of my words will always below_  
 _Of all the love you spoke_  
 _When you're on my road_  
 _Walking me home_

As she sang Beth watched Daryl slowly loosen the grip he had on his legs until they rested behind him and he could lean back on them. He watched her openly as she sang, and she felt her blush return in full force.

 _See the flames inside my eyes_  
 _It burns so bright I wanna' feel your love_  
 _Easy baby maybe I'm a liar_  
 _But for tonight I wanna' fall in love_  
 _Put your faith in my stomach_

 _And for how long, I love, my lover_  
 _For how long I love my lover_  
 _And now, now, for how long, long I love my lover_  
 _Now, now, for how long, long I love my lover_

 _Now now, for how long, long I love my lover (and I feel loved)_  
 _Now now, for how long, long I love my lover_  
 _I feel it all over now, now and I feel loved_  
 _Now now, for how long, long I love my lover_

"See Beth! The baby likes your singing, he's kickin' up a storm!" Lori exclaimed, pulling Beth's attention away from Daryl.

Beth scooted over to where Lori sat and placed her hand on Lori's abdomen, letting Lori guide her hand to the spot where the baby was kicking repeatedly.

"Oh my gosh!" Beth felt a huge smile dance across her face and a loud laugh erupt as she felt the baby move against her hands.

"I told ya!" Lori laughed, and leaned over to kiss Rick on the cheek.

Beth looked away to give them a moment of privacy and caught Daryl's gaze still resting on her. She didn't let her smile fall, and perhaps for the first time since she'd known him, he didn't look away.


	16. In a Place Where I Can Feel

"Let's eat dinner together tonight," Herschel suggested as he stood up. "I've found it very bizarre not having all of you hogging all of my food the last few days." His mouth quirked into a smile as T-Dog shouted with laughter.

"True story," Maggie smirked as she moved to help Lori stand. "S'the first time my belly hasn't ached since you sorry lot showed up at our door."

"My bad," Carl responded, his own smile lighting up his face. "I guess gettin' shot an all really messed up your plans." Beth gasped and moved to pull him into a hug.

"I guess we'll just lay all the blame on you Carl," Rick teased, a smile playing at his lips. "Thank you for steppin' up and takin' responsibility like a man."

"Don't listen to them Carl!" Beth giggled. Pivoting her body away from Carl's to face the rest of the group, she leaned in to mock-whisper in his ear. "Maggie's jus' sore that y'all ate all her snacks. She's a brat when it comes ta sharin'."

"Elizabeth Hope Greene!" Maggie rejoined in exaggerated indignation. "I will have y'all know that I share jus' fine thank you. 'Sides, the day y'all showed up was the day I got ta meet Glenn," she moved to wrap her arms around Glenn's neck and kissed him softly. Everyone let slip their own expressions of distaste, ranging from Beth rolling her eyes to Carl's loud, "Come _on_ you guys, you have a literal room!"

"Besides," Maggie added, turning away from Glenn and ignoring everyone's reactions. "Beth's the one that complained when y'all at her candy."

"Margaret Ann!" Beth exclaimed, and punched her sister in the arm. Maggie smirked and stuck her tongue out at Beth, causing her to laugh loudly in response.

"If you forgive other people when they sin against you, the heavenly Father will also forgive you Bethy," Herschel walked past Beth and rested his hand lightly on her arm in passing. "Even if its only over your Twix bars."

"Daddy!" She gasped before dissolving into delighted laughter.

Everyone joined in the teasing now, and Beth felt her earlier unease melt away as the warmth of her family's joy wrapped around her. She smiled at her father and sister's banter and let herself fall towards the back of the group, allowing herself a moment to take in the sight of everyone enjoying themselves. This was easy and affectionate and _normal_.

"I always thought Twix was tha best kind."

Daryl had fallen in step next to her, his voice quiet and low and startling her from her private reflection. She turned to look at him, and he met her eyes briefly through the hair that hung in his eyes as he bent forward to light a cigarette.

"Don' blame you fer gettin' territorial over yer Twix," he murmured, "If 's somethin' ya like, s'hard ta give it up to people ya don' trust." He kept his eyes forward and determinedly away from her face.

 _Oh Daryl._ Beth fought to keep a smile from erupting on her face.

"I'm sorry Daryl," Beth began, reaching a hand out. She let it hang between them for a moment, but Daryl stared at it as though it may burn him and she decided to let it drop. He watched her hand fall back to her side, and brought his eyes up to meet hers.

"Fer what?" He honestly looked confused by her apology.

"For bein' so grumpy last night an' stompin' off. For yellin' at you before. I can't expect you to see me like an adult, and then go actin' like a spoilt child when you speak your mind."

Daryl rolled one of his shoulders in a half-shrug. "Ain't nothin'," he murmured again. He took a deep drag of his cigarette, letting the smoke drift slowly out of his mouth as he spoke. "Ya ain't a kid, ain't been fer a while. This place jus' has everythin' all messed up fer me and it's hard ta get used to."

Beth could see how this place could discombobulate him; it most certainly was doing a number on her. He was used to caring for their family in do-or-die situations where if someone was missing, it could mean they were dead. It was hard to turn that off all of a sudden.

"M'sorry fer yellin' at ya in front of yer fella," Daryl added quickly, flicking the ash from his cigarette and breathing out heavily through his nose.

Beth stopped short. "My what?" She felt her voice rise again, this time from shock rather than anger. "What the hell are you talkin' about Daryl Dixon?"

"Elizabeth! Language!" Herschel's voice carried back from the front of the group.

"Yer fella. Tha guy you was talkin' with. He was into ya."

This time Beth didn't hesitate to grab Daryl's arm as he tried to move away from her. "Daryl," she began. She could not believe she was having this conversation. With Daryl. _Jesus the world really was ending._ "I don' even know him. This was the first time I talked to him. No matter what's going on between us," Daryl arched an eyebrow at her and smirked as she blushed. "Oh shut up, you know what I mean. This pairing thing," she motioned a hand back and forth between them, realizing it was quickly becoming the easiest way to vaguely describe their relationship with one another. "I don' know him. And therefore, I don' trust him. Or this place. I trust my daddy, and Maggie, and Rick, and you, and the rest of our family. That's it. Y'all are the ones that are my home, and it'll take a little bit more than some boy tryin' to tell me I got a pretty voice to pull me away from y'all."

The corner of his mouth quirked up as she spoke but he quickly straightened his face and gave her a sharp nod. "Alright," he replied simply. "Don' go sneakin' out of the apartment when I'm sleepin' again. Nearly gave me a heart attack," he grumbled at her, his frown deepening as he spoke.

Beth smirked as she took in his profile. "Daddy said you were worried about me. That true?"

He narrowed his eyes and cut them over to her and hurriedly brought his gaze forward again. He gave her another sharp nod, "Don' go spreadin' it around, girl."

Beth let out a hoot of laughter that elicited an actual grin from Daryl. "You're a good man Daryl," she stated firmly.

He grunted in response, shaking his head at her. "Don' know 'bout that one."

"I do." Beth looked up to the man who stood next to her and lightly bumped his arm with her shoulder. She could see a blush creeping up the side of his neck.

"Guess you'll jus' have ta keep remindin' me then."

* * *

The apartment Herschel, T-Dog, and Carol shared was laid out in a similar way to the one he shared with Beth, only with an additional bedroom across the hall from the bathroom. There was easily enough room for each person to have their own sleeping space, but Daryl had seen Carol pick up a pile of blankets and toss them into the small bedroom as everyone made their way into the apartment. The three of them had obviously been sleeping together in the living room; maybe Herschel's comment about the group's separation hadn't been so off-hand after all.

Daryl leaned against the wall as he ate his dinner, watching everyone as they teased each other and laughed, the jovial energy from earlier having followed them into the apartment. Beth's laugh caught his ears and he felt the back of his neck burn as he resolutely kept his eyes turned down on his plate.

He had been so goddamn pissed at her before, and then she practically fuckin' slapped him with those words. _I ain't jus' another dead girl_. His throat suddenly felt dry and he had to force himself to swallow his food before it got stuck. She wasn't dead. None of them were. Is that what she thought of herself though?

He looked up and spotted Beth on the other side of the room from him. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, cutting her food into small pieces with her fork and laughing at something Carol was saying to her dad. She continued to laugh as she chewed. Her lips pressing together and her eyes squinting closed as she brought her hand that held her fork to the front of her mouth. Lori leaned in and whispered something in Beth's ear and she lost all semblance of control. Her hand remained in front of her mouth, but she let out a loud chuckle and shook her head at Lori.

 _Jesus this girl was pretty. Fuck._ He wasn't even going to touch where that thought came from. But she was. _Shit was she always this pretty?_ Daryl mentally rolled his eyes at himself.

She was also quiet most of the time. At the farm and on the run she'd always kind of been in the background to him. She'd tried to kill herself, but when she didn't die, she kind of just faded back into their surroundings for him. She could do all the same things the other members of their group could do, but she was never someone he thought of when he looked to have someone cover his back. Rick? Easy, yes. Glenn? Of course, the guy was fast. Herschel? The man was a tough sonofabitch and a scary-ass man with a gun. Hells yeah. Maggie? Girl was a hellion. Hard yes. T-Dog? He knew his shit, yes. But Beth? She seemed like someone he'd had to protect, a child like Carl. He honestly didn't even realize she was eighteen until he'd been paired with her.

She may not have been a born-warrior like her daddy or her sister, but the more he thought on it, the more he realized how much Beth did for their group. She helped make a fire every night they'd been on the run. She made sure Lori got as much food as possible, he'd even caught her slipping Lori her portions of food when she thought no one was looking; Daryl was quick to follow her example when he'd caught on to what she was doing. She always volunteered for watch at night so the others could sleep, stubbornly staying awake even when Daryl would brush her off and try to take over for her. She made sure Carl still gave a shit about learning, because to Beth, this world wasn't just about survival. She wanted to live.

 _Fuck me_ , he drew in a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut as her melodious laughter reached his ears again. He felt a now familiar heat spread through his gut and across his chest. His heart legit skipped a fucking beat. _His girl wanted to live._


	17. Waiting For The Hint of a Spark

Dinner ended quietly, but no one seemed in a hurry to leave. The closeness they'd become accustomed to felt relieving to Daryl, and with everyone in the same room he didn't feel like he was constantly having to look over his shoulder and do a headcount. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him either; Daryl had never gotten used to having people around him, and eventually he grew more comfortable being on his own, often having only Merle for company whenever he was lucid. But now, now he felt more at ease with this group of people that surrounded him than he ever remembered being in the old world. He was a part of something, and that shocked the shit out of him.

He remained against the wall, sliding down to the floor after he'd finished eating, and continued to observe his group as they relaxed around the living room. Herschel was on a couch seated next to Carl, who was telling him something about school. Rick, Carol, and T-Dog were seated on the floor with Andrea, asking her questions about Woodbury. Maggie and Glenn were leaning against the couch where Herschel sat, small smiles on their faces as they listened to Carl and Herschel. He could see Lori and Beth out the corner of his eye, putting things away in the kitchen, Lori laughing softly at something Beth was saying. He let his eyes linger on the two of them for a moment. Lori was getting bigger every day; it seemed like the extra food and vitamins she'd gotten since arriving at Woodbury had kick started the baby's growth. Beth was slight in comparison, but she seemed a little bit stronger too. None of them had the gaunt look of starvation that he knew they'd come in here with. He always forgot how small she was, he'd been reminded again today when he'd walked next to her before dinner. Her shoulder came up to the middle of his arm when she'd nudged him during her teasing; he hated to admit that her simple touch had sent a shock through his system that almost knocked him off balance. Maybe her being so damn tiny was why he always associated her with being so young? _But she wasn't_. Now that he'd wrapped his mind around that fact, it was like he couldn't see anything else. The muscles in her arms and the slight flair of her hips, the curve of her ass in those goddamn jeans... _Jesus Christ shut up_ , he told himself and shifted his eyes away from her. He didn't need Herschel catching him checking out his _teenage_ daughter. _She's a teenager she's a teenager she's a teenager_ , he reminded himself. The most worrisome part was that that mantra only made more heat spread across his neck rather than deter it. _What the fuck? Stop being so fuckin' creepy._

Daryl ran a hand roughly across his face to break whatever spell he was under.

"...Just wait 'til you have kids Beth!" he heard Lori say to Beth. He snapped his attention back to the two women in the kitchen, but kept his eyes on the floor.

Whatever line of conversation they'd been having didn't continue though, and Daryl was left with a roaring in his ears. How did he keep forgetting that little fucking addendum to being in Woodbury? Kids. He was supposed to have kids with Beth. Elizabeth Hope Greene, Maggie had called her earlier. Of fucking course that was her middle name. All shiny and glowing and beautiful, and that's what she was. How was dirty redneck Daryl Dixon expected to put his hands on something as pure as her and not sully her? Oh Christ on a fucking cross he was supposed to put his dick in her. That was way more than just putting his hands on her, and Daryl had taken great pains to avoid thinking about the details of what being paired with Beth meant. Daryl felt that stupid heat on his neck and that clench in his gut again. Great. That's just great.

He let his eyes wander over to Beth again as she and Lori reentered the living room. Lori went to sit next to Carl and Beth stood behind her father, so her profile faced Daryl. Before he knew what his brain was doing, he imagined what she would look like pregnant. Her strong legs in those jeans. The swell of her abdomen peaking over the top of them. Her smile glowing, like it was now.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Carol's voice pulled him from the very dangerous road he found himself on as she slid to the floor next to him.

Daryl cleared his throat and realized how dry his mouth was. _Get a fuckin hold of yourself_. "Nuthin'," he muttered, looking over at Carol. "Jus' zonin' out. Thinkin' it's hard to get used to not needin' ta keep watch o'er everyone."

Carol nodded in agreement and looked out over the group dispersed around her living room, a hint of a smile playing out across her face. "I know you saw me clean up the blankets when you all came in."

Daryl grunted a response.

"I don't think any of us are really ready to settle in here," she sighed and turned to look at him. "This world asks for a lot in exchange to keep us safe, doesn't it?"

Daryl held her gaze for a moment before she turned away and looked over at Beth. Daryl followed, and watched as Beth walked around the couch and curled up on the floor next to Maggie. The two girls leaned towards each other and after a moment Beth pulled away suddenly, blushing and shaking her head. Maggie shrugged and wrapped her arm around Beth's shoulder, pulling her back towards her. They continued talking quietly, in their own world amidst the crowded room.

"How are things going over in your apartment, Pookie?"

Daryl looked back to Carol who was grinning at him, amused at the use of her own nickname for him. He rolled his eyes at her, but to be honest he didn't mind it; the only other nicknames he'd ever had was when his father called him "asshole" or Merle called him "Darylina"; he could deal with "Pookie".

"'S fine," he answered quietly.

"We all saw the fight, Daryl," she was pushing for more information and he knew it.

It was his turn to let out a sigh. He shrugged. "Think we're fine. We talked a bit. Jus' both of us bein' hotheads. Like I said, s'hard ta let go of bein' the way it was out there. Girl can do what she wants, jus' shouldn't sneak ou' of the house without tellin' me an' scarin' the shit ou' of me."

"She likes you, you know," Carol said quietly.

Daryl made a derisive noise. "Yer losin' yer mind. Girl's family, ain' nothin' more."

A knock at the front door quieted all conversation in the room.

Herschel looked to Carol and she nodded a response, moving to push herself up from the floor.

"Just remember Pookie, I liked you first," she said, giving him a wink.

"Shaddup," he grumbled out and moved to stand as well.

Carol opened the front door a crack, paused for a moment and turned to catch Rick's eye. He stood, and Carol pulled the door open fully. Phillip stood there, flanked by Gorman and Merle.

"What a lovely gathering," Phillip said, a smile stretching across his face as he stepped into the apartment. "Andrea, there you are," he stated, turning to face her. "When you didn't come by after work I began to get worried." His smile stayed in place, but Daryl could see the tenseness of his words reflected in his expression.

Andrea brushed it off with a laugh and came to stand near Phillip. "Yeah, we decided to have dinner together as a group. We've been separated for so long, I missed spending time with them."

To Daryl's ears it sounded like she was trying to keep him from getting angry. He knew that way of talking, he'd heard enough of it growing up with his parents. It was the voice of a woman afraid of what a man could do.

"What was for dinner?" Phillip's smile rested more easily on his face as he turned to face the rest of the group once again.

"Just some of the odds and ends we had in the cabinets," Herschel answered. He hadn't gotten up when Phillip had come into the room, and Daryl could see his own false smile that rested on his face. Herschel could see it too. Phillip was a snake who was toying with his food.

"Well I'm sorry I missed it! Is there any left? I know none of us had a chance to eat before we came over here," Daryl noticed that Phillip's gaze was constantly moving, taking in everyone who was in the apartment.

Beth stood then, and Daryl saw Gorman's hand move to the knife on his belt in an automatic response to her movement. "I think we ate it all, but I can see about making y'all something else," she said as she moved to walk around the couch.

Gorman's hand dropped from his waist and his eyes focused on Beth. "Oh sugar, I'm sure you got plenty of tricks up your sleeve," he said it quietly as she passed near him, but Daryl heard it. The bastard was fucking _leering_ at her.

Daryl was about to step towards Gorman when he saw Merle give him a small shake of his head. He directed his eyes over towards Phillip, who was watching Daryl with a half-smile on his face. When Daryl looked back towards Merle, his brother pointedly looked at Beth and shook his head again. Daryl got the message. The Governor didn't want dinner, he wanted to see who he could manipulate in this room. As Beth moved by him to walk into the kitchen, Daryl reached out and grabbed her wrist. Beth's eyes shot to his and he could see the strain contained in them. She knew what was happening too. Daryl gave her a brief nod, and then jerked his head to the side, motioning for her to come to him. She came willingly, allowing him to pull her to stand partially behind him.

When he looked back to Gorman, the bastard was still leering at Beth, and Daryl felt his jaw tense in response. He met Phillip's eyes once again and the man smirked before turning to look at Andrea.

"No matter, it's getting late as it is," his wide smile returning to his face as he spoke.

"We got a curfew now?" Daryl bit out.

"Actually yes," Phillip answered easily. "I was going to announce it tomorrow in a town meeting. Our run teams have reported an increased number of Biters in the area, so we're going to be establishing a curfew until they pass. No need to attract attention to ourselves is there?"

"Anythin' we can do to help?" Rick asked.

"No, no. I think our team can handle it just fine. But since you asked, Mr. Dixon, we may as well start the curfew this evening." The Governor's snake smile settled on Daryl, and he felt Beth involuntarily shiver behind him.

Herschel nodded and stood up. "Sounds like a plan. Best to practice what you preach, am I right?"

Phillip let his smile become jovial before answering. "Of course Mr. Greene. And I'd be happy to make sure everyone here gets back to their _assigned_ homes safely. Can't be too careful in this world, I always say."

Daryl hoped Merle would be the one to walk back with he and Beth to their apartment. Maybe then he'd be able to find out what the fuck was going on.

"Merle, can you please make sure Mr. and Mrs. Rhee get home safely? Gorman, I'd like you to see to Mr. and Mrs. Dixon over there. And Andrea and I will be happy to walk the Grimes family home."

Daryl could feel himself grind his teeth at the Governor's indirect statement. Everyone remained still and looked to one another for a moment. They got it, they all did. There were no options being laid out for them, they were being ordered.

It was Beth who moved first. Moving around Daryl she went to stand beside Herschel, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, with a quiet, "G'night Daddy."

Maggie looked over at her father and nodded. She grasped Glenn's hand and arched an eyebrow at Merle. Merle held his arm out to usher Maggie to the door, a smirk playing on his lips. "Get yer asses goin' Mr. and Mrs. Chinaman." Daryl could hear Glenn arguing with him as they moved down the hallway and away from the apartment. Daryl knew those three would be fine; unhappy, but safe.

Daryl walked forward to meet Beth who was hesitating by the door, obviously waiting for him so she wouldn't have to walk alone with Gorman. As he passed Rick, he heard him murmur, "Keep an ear open," and Daryl gave him a quick nod in response without pausing.

Daryl kept his eye on Gorman as he continued to the door, barely casting Beth a glance as he grabbed her wrist again and pulled her along behind him into the hallway.

"You ok?" he asked quietly, keeping his eyes on the exit ahead of them as he moved swiftly down the hall.

"Yes," Beth answered, her voice wasn't strong though and Daryl turned to look at her. He could see Gorman about five steps behind her, his eyes on her ass as she walked. Beth knew he was there, could feel him. She met Daryl's eyes and inclined her head slightly, encouraging him to keep walking.

As soon as they got outside, Daryl had to restrain himself from simply breaking out in a run. He could easily grab a hold of Beth and just take off. He knew someone would pay for it though, and he wasn't inclined to give the Governor that kind of ammunition.

"How's the married life treatin' the Dixons?" Gorman asked from behind them, Daryl could hear the sneer in his voice as he said his last name.

"We're fine," Daryl ground out.

"You gettin' along alright darlin'?" Gorman's tone changed to something much more slippery. Daryl's hand clenched and he heard Beth inhale a sharp breath. _Shit_. He knew he was probably hurting her, but there was no way in hell he was slowing down or loosening his grip on her hand.

"She's fine," Daryl answered, quickening his pace. He knew he was being an asshole, but all he could think about was getting Beth through the front door of their apartment and wedging that chair under the doorknob. He'd stay up all night to make sure this piece of shit didn't try anything. He just needed to get them there.

"Wasn' askin' you, trailer park."

Daryl was jerked back as Beth stopped suddenly. He whipped his head around to look at her, and saw that Gorman had his hand wrapped around her upper arm. He could see that Gorman was digging his fingers into Beth's arm, and he wouldn't be surprised if she had bruises in the morning. _Kill him_. The thought flashed across his brain.

Beth's face was bordering on a grimace as she choked out, "We're fine, thank you."

"When yer done settlin' in girlie," Gorman leaned in close to Beth as he spoke, "I think you should mosey over to my place. I'll show you what you're missin' out on here with trailer park." Gorman laughed as he loosened his grip on Beth's arm. The red marks stood out on her pale skin, and Daryl couldn't help taking a menacing step towards him.

"Best watch yourself buddy," Gorman smirked at him. "Unless you're lookin' to give up your girl here, you should watch your step."

"What do you mean?" Beth asked him. Daryl noticed that although she was looking at Gorman all wide-eyed innocent, she was slowly and deliberately working her arm from his grip.

"Well girlie, you or your man step out of line, you get a visit to the guards' dorms. Governor lets us have our pick of ways to make you see sense."

"Why do you get to choose? Shouldn't he, since he's the one in charge?" Beth was still methodically working her arm, twisting it as she spoke. She moved slowly, pivoting her body so she could jerk it away from Gorman when the time came. Girl knew what she was doing.

"Reward," Gorman answered simply.

"Fer what? Bein' fuckin' stupid?" Daryl spit out, allowing Beth to gently but efficiently remove her bruised arm from Gorman's tight grasp.

"For not gettin' paired," Gorman sneered at Daryl, and he could see everything play out behind the man's eyes. Anger, jealously, depravity, but most of all he saw Gorman's cruelty. Daryl felt his heart speed up and moved to bring Beth back over to him.

Beth didn't need prompting though. She demurred her eyes towards the ground, still playing at being an innocent, edging up next to Daryl and sliding her small hand into his larger one. She laced her fingers with his, and Daryl felt a coinciding clench in his stomach. Her hands were so smooth and soft, they felt like silk in his hardened calloused grasp. He felt a heated blush creep across his chest as the thought crossed his mind as to whether the rest of her body felt this way. _Not the fuckin' time dumbass_. He looked down at her and she met his gaze, giving his a small, forced smile.

"We'll be fine," she said softly, and he knew it was for him more than for Gorman. "No trouble from us," she continued, turning to look at the man.

"Let's go Beth," Daryl said quietly; she matched his stride, not needing to be pulled this time. He held on to her hand though, he wasn't letting it go until he knew she was behind the door of their apartment.

"Too bad little girl," they heard Gorman's sing-song words follow them down the street. "But if you or trailer park do find yourselves in any trouble, I've got my eye out for you."

Beth didn't turn back, and Daryl refused to as well. He felt her squeeze his fingers, and he let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and squeezed her small hand back. _We'll be fine_.


	18. Come Dance on the River's Edge

"Fuck." Beth let the word fall out of her as soon as they crossed the threshold into the apartment and Daryl had shoved the chair under the doorknob. She leaned against the wall beside the door, bracing her palms on her knees and letting her hair fall forward to shield her face. She didn't want to cry, not now; but she could feel a sob building in the back of her throat. She clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. _10, 9, 8_... she counted the seconds down in her head until she felt the sudden onslaught of emotion retreat. Daryl stood nearby, keeping an ear turned to the hallway; for what felt like the thousandth time since they had arrived at Woodbury, Beth thanked God for Daryl's company. If she was going to be stuck with anyone, she was happy it was someone who would keep her safe.

She heard Daryl mutter quietly, "Ain't ne'er heard ya curse so much as ya do here, girl," he shifted to face her, letting his arms drop down beside him. "'m beginnin' ta think this place's a bad influence on ya."

Beth turned her head fully to look at him and watched a bitter smile tease at his mouth. She pushed her hair behind her ear before answering.

"Ain't never had this much to curse 'bout, but I think tonight deserved it," she replied quietly. She pushed herself off from the wall and walked determinedly towards the kitchen. "It also deserves a drink."

"Beth..." Daryl sounded like he was about to caution her.

"Don' even Daryl," she cut him off quickly.

She heard him sigh heavily behind her and she smiled to herself. She was all fought-out tonight, and what she really needed right now was a friend, not someone telling her what to do. By the time she had poured each of them a small glass of liquor and turned back to the living room, Daryl was sitting on the couch, bunched up on one side, obviously leaving space for her to sit next to him.

"It's your turn," she prompted, placing one of the glasses on the table in front of Daryl.

It took him less time now to catch on to what she was talking about.

"Nah, I asked ya 'bout Jimmy," he said, picking up his glass and swirling the clear liquid around. "S'your turn."

"Nope," she replied simply, shaking her head. "I asked you about girls."

"An' look how good tha' turned out," Daryl answered, shaking his head but refusing to look at her. Beth watched his ears redden in the silence of the moments after he spoke.

"Scout's honor," she said quickly, holding up her hand. "I promise I won' throw a tantrum 'bout anythin' you say."

This finally elicited a small grin from him and he shook his head again. Daryl let out a loud put-upon sigh and cut his eyes over to her. He narrowed them, considering her for a few moments. Beth felt the time stretch out between them, bordering on awkward, but she refused to look away. "What's one thing you wish you coulda brought with ya when we ran from tha farm?" he asked finally.

Beth took a moment and looked down at her own drink. What would she have taken? Everything? Nothing? Her mom's ring...Shawn's varsity jacket...family photos...which pieces of her former life could be a substitute for everything she had been forced to leave behind in the night?

"Ain't got no movin' van..." she started, bringing her glass up to her mouth and taking a small sip. The moonshine burned hot as it went down her throat and she again fought to keep it down. She heard Daryl snort quietly beside her in response. She half expected him to backtrack when she didn't continue with her answer, but he remained silent. His steady presence beside her giving her the space to construct her thoughts.

"Well," she began again. "I think I'da grabbed my journal if I'da had the time."

"Wha's the point o' that?" he asked. He raised his eyebrows as he took a sip of his own drink. "O' writin' in a journal, I mean," he clarified. He sounded genuinely curious. "Ain't ne'er had the desire to write down the shit goin' on in my head."

Beth took a moment to think about her answer. She remembered why she had started writing in a journal, but she didn't remember exactly when the process had become a part of her. "I started writin' for an assignment in grade school, believe it or not," she smirked as she looked up to meet his gaze. "Teacher had us doin' it when we were readin' _Anne Frank_ ; I think that book got me thinkin' about a lot, an' I just started doin' it every day."

Daryl remained quiet after she had stopped speaking; he was silent for long enough that Beth began to try to think of a question to next ask Daryl when he suddenly spoke again.

"What'd you think 'bout when you were writin'?" Daryl hadn't looked up at her when he spoke, his brow was furrowed and he had the traces of a scowl playing at the corners of his lips.

Beth looked down at her wrist briefly. She had hoped this action had escaped Daryl's keen observances, but when she looked back to his face, he was looking straight at her. _Damn it_ , why had she lead them down this path? _It had all been going so well_. She took a deep breath and allowed the fuzzy warmth from the alcohol to wash over her. "I'll be gone someday," she stated quietly.

He froze. She could see him out the corner of her eye when she looked down at her glass. "Stop," he replied. His voice was quiet but firm.

"I will," she repeated, her voice stronger this time. She returned her gaze to the man sitting next to her, her resolve strengthening. _You aren't a child, remember? So show him_. "My words in a journal are all there's gonna be left of me someday. I don' think no one's gonna read my journals or anythin'," she felt herself blush and gave Daryl a small smile that he didn't return. "But I guess it's a small comfort to know that somethin'll be left behind, somethin'll show that I lived."

Daryl wouldn't meet her eyes. He swirled his glass around once more before lifting it and tipping the remaining alcohol into his mouth. "We should go ta bed," he mumbled, glancing at her quickly before standing up and moving swiftly towards the kitchen.

"Daryl..." she started. Now she was confused. _Why was he upset with her?_ The fuzziness in her head wouldn't allow her to pick out the exact moment he had shut down. "Daryl, what's the matter?" she called to his retreating back.

She heard him place his glass in the sink and then a muffled noise that sounded like, "Mmhmph." He returned to face the living room, leaning against the entranceway to the kitchen with his arms crossed in front of him. He looked like he was determined to stare at the floor, the wall, the door...anything except her.

"Don't 'mmhmph' me. What's the matter?" she asked again. She stood and placed her glass down on the coffee table; the loud noise that was made when the glass hit the wood of the table seemed to snap Daryl out of wherever his head was at.

When he met her eyes she almost wished he hadn't. He looked like a man who's soul was on fire. "Why you gotta say shit like that Beth? Huh?" His voice stayed low and rough as he spoke.

"Like what?" She crossed her own arms in front of her now.

"Like what? Are ya fuckin' kiddin' me wit' this shit? How 'bout ya talkin' like yer gonna fuckin' die! How 'bout that, Beth? Yer inside a fuckin' town wit' walls. Ya got yer daddy. Ya got Maggie. Ya got Rick. Ya got this whole fuckin' group. Ya got me." He paused, pushing himself from the wall and bringing both hands to rest behind his head. He started pacing in a loose circle in front of Beth. "Fuck!" he shouted. His voice was loud enough now that she wouldn't be surprised if their neighbors started knocking on the walls. "Ya got people who wanna protect ya and yer still fuckin' talkin' 'bout dyin'. Ya said it today too! Yer not dead yet girl! Stop talkin' like ya got someone gunnin' fer ya!"

"I know I ain't dead Daryl," she spoke softly, moving to walk around the couch. "But I'm not blind."

He met her eyes suddenly and slowly brought his hands back down to his sides.

"Even Merle said it," she grasped this fact suddenly, like having Merle's opinion would buoy her own argument against his brother. " I... I ain't made to survive this world. Y'all protect me, but I haven't earned it yet."

"Merle said that shit to you?" Daryl was clenching his hands into fists.

 _Damn it Daryl , missing the point!_

"It's ok Daryl," she murmured. She came to stand in front of him, and reached out to ease the tension in his hands. He let her touch him this time, but flinched when her fingers brushed against his.

"Naw," he barked, using his brusqueness to cover the fact that he was putting distance between them. He stepped past her, leaning forward and gripping the back of the couch; Beth could see his knuckles turning white as he let out a loud sigh. "S'not ok girl. Did ya wan' to die back at the farm?" When he spoke he turned slightly to look at her over his left shoulder, she could just see his eyes narrow at her appraisingly as he posed this question to her.

She shook her head.

"Ya want to die now?"

She shook her head once again.

"Ya wan' ta earn it?"

Beth paused for a moment before answering, "Yes."

He nodded once, slight but firm. Enough that she could see it. "Ima gonna teach ya to fight. Can' be lookin' out fer ya all the time. Ya ain't dead, ya ain't dyin'. Got it?"

It was Beth's turn to nod.

"Good," he grunted out. "Go the fuck ta bed."

Beth didn't look back as she walked down the hallway. She moved to shut the door of the bedroom firmly behind her, leaning against it and letting her weight push it closed the last inch. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She wanted to learn, she wanted to live. And it was starting to look like Daryl wanted that for her too.


	19. Forget the Life I Almost Had

**AN:** You beautiful wonderful people have been so encouraging to me while I've been so bad about posting. I'm in graduate school and this semester, combined with a new full time job in my chosen profession, has been particularly time-consuming. The reviews I got when I had honestly thought no one was even paying attention to _To Be Lost and Found_ , made me so happy! So thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart.

This is a tiny little chapter that I had started months ago, and I decided I'd rather put out a short chapter than nothing at all while I get back into writing this story.

You all are perfect.

* * *

"Goddamn it Beth!" Daryl spat his words at her as she fell on her butt for the fifth time that morning.

Beth cut her eyes up to Daryl and blew a breath out of the corner of her mouth with a small "huff" noise, making strands of her hair rise upward. She braced her arms on either side of where she now sat on the floor and made to push herself up. Again.

They had been at this since before the sun had come up. And the morning before that. And the one before that as well. They had been at this all damn week and she still couldn't block a basic hit from Daryl when he came at her.

The first morning after Daryl offered to train her, he'd burst into her bedroom while it was still dark and barked at her to, "Get her ass up," as he so charmingly put it. While she was still half asleep she had stumbled out into their living room to discover that he had pushed all the furniture up against the walls. While she looked around at the changes to her living room, he had come up behind her and given her a rough shove that sent her straight to the floor. "Watch yer back, Greene. Ain't no one gonna give ya time to take in the scenery." And when she had complained that she was still half asleep, he let her know on no-uncertain-terms that she couldn't have coffee until she learned something from him.

Now it was almost seven days later and she still hadn't gotten her goddamn coffee.

Beth stood up quickly, bouncing from foot to foot in an effort to shake out the weariness she felt creeping into her muscles. She, along with Maggie and Carol, had been sent around to work different chores each day. By now they'd made the full rotation of responsibilities twice, and if Beth could, she would apologize up and down to her mama for ever doubting that housekeeping was hard. Her arms ached, her feet hurt, and every night after she ate dinner she collapsed into bed without so much as more than a "G'night," aimed at Daryl. Now that he was hell-bent on training her, she could watch the dark shadows under her eyes become more prominent with each passing day that he woke her up before the sun rose.

"How did I get ya?" he asked her, using what Beth had privately nick-named, his teacher voice.

"Well Mister Dixon," she began in a sing-song voice that caused him to instantly scowl at her. "I'd say it's a combination of you fakin' me out when I went to hit ya," she had began circling the room as she talked, Daryl moving around the make-shift circle across from her. "And you not lettin' me have a cup of coffee in a week!" No sooner had the words left her mouth that Daryl swiftly swept her legs out from under her, sending her straight back to the floor.

"And ya ain't goin' to get any til ya stop harpin' and show me you can fight, girl." His retort was delivered from above her, where she could sense he was looming above her again. He'd taken to scolding her from this position, she could tell where he was even though her eyes were closed. She'd closed them out of reflex when she hit the floor and had yet to reopen them. She hummed out an acknowledgement to him, and used the moment to figure out where he stood in relation to her own legs. She knew if she opened her eyes she'd give herself away, she was too easy to read. So without opening her eyes she shot her right leg to the side, quickly and without warning, and felt it make contact with both of Daryl's. Beth smiled as she heard Daryl swear loudly as he lost his balance and awkwardly fell forward towards the floor.

"Does that count?" she muttered under her breath, but she knew Daryl had heard her when he swore again. She smirked in response to his expletives.

"Nah. It does not fuckin' count. Not in real life, because that was some straight bullshit, girl," he grumbled at her from somewhere to her right. "But in our life, ya earned yerself half a cup of coffee." Beth felt him pat her right knee hard, like he was patting down a horse.

But her eyes snapped open as soon as she processed his words, and she sat up so quickly and with such enthusiasm that she nearly ended up head-butting him. Daryl reached out a hand to steady her, placing it on her shoulder to keep her from falling back down. He rolled his eyes at her antics as she jumped up and ran towards the kitchen, giggling with barely controlled glee as she sprinted towards their coffee maker.

"Half a cup Greene!" he called out behind her. She half-heartedly replied, waving off his words as she measured out the water and the crappy coffee grounds. She heard him chuckle behind her, and she felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. This ease between them was still new to her, she was still getting used to it; but as she prepared half of a cup of coffee for herself, pouring the rest into a cup for Daryl, she realized that it really didn't feel strange anymore.


	20. Your Hands Can Heal, Your Hands Bruise

This was killing him. She was killing him. Slowly.

Every day he made his way to her bedroom and had to wake her up. He'd taken to bursting in there like some deranged drill sergeant just so that he wouldn't have to see her in any type of context remotely related to a bed. That first morning he'd gotten up from his spot on the couch, intent on training Beth Greene to fight, he hadn't slept at all. Every time he had closed his eyes he saw the unruffled look on her face when she so-casually spoke to him about her own eventual death. That composed look on her god-damn angelic face made his blood boil so fast that he'd find himself back where he started - fucking awake. And mad. And no closer to sleep.

When the very first rays of sunrise began to creep across the horizon, he'd swung his legs over the side of the couch and pulled himself up to stretch his arms above his head. He cracked his neck, shook out the tired tension in his shoulders and made his way to Beth's room. It had never been their shared room, he'd pushed that ridiculous thought out of his head on their first day in the apartment; and it had stayed firmly in its place - out of his head - until he carelessly, stupidly, walked through the door and into said bedroom.

Daryl knew that until the day he died, he'd never be able to get the image of little Beth Greene splayed out on a bed that should have been theirs, her wild golden curls haloed around her, catching the tendrils of sunlight that spilled through the crappy curtains that barely kept out the day. Her delicate feet and toes poked out from the bottom of her blanket; her toenails were painted. He would remember that forever; of anything and everything in this fucked up world, Beth still found the motivation to paint her toenails blue. Her arms extended from her body, her hands reached out into the space next to her - the space where her lover should be.

 _Fuck. Shit. Pervert._

Daryl turned quickly and made his way out of the room as fast as he could without waking Beth. He let the door close silently behind him and dropped his head to the wall with a dull _thunk_ as the bedroom door clicked shut. _Stop being fuckin' creepy._

Exactly four deep breaths later he shook his head and decided to try this again. Daryl pushed the door open with enough force that it bounced loudly off the wall and woke Beth without his having to enter into the room. She didn't scream like he'd half been expecting her too, but she shot up in and was halfway out of bed before either of them had time to process that she wasn't wearing pajama pants.

 _Of course. One more nail in his coffin._

"Get yer ass up Greene," he barked at her. Daryl cut his eyes to the side so he wouldn't be tempted to stare at her bare legs. She was hurriedly stuffing those legs into jeans, and had just started on her boots when she spoke.

"What's happened, Daryl?" she asked quietly, and reached for her sweater that lay on the floor next to the bed.

Daryl looked at her for a minute. _Shit. Of course she was worried with ya bangin' in the room like yer ass is on fire._ "Nothin's wrong. M'sorry girl." he muttered as she stopped her frantic movements around the room. "Ya wanted ta learn? Ta fight? Get yer ass in the livin' room."

He turned and stomped down the hall to the main room of the apartment. Taking stock of the sparse furnishings, he decided that this space would have to do. Daryl still didn't trust this place, and he knew that Rick wasn't ready to show his hand to Philip. That'd probably include fighting and training in public; best to play the part of the beat-down townsfolk until they had a better handle on their neighbors. He brought his thumb up and chewed on the edge of it quickly as he stood still to listen carefully. _Neighbors. Shit_. He couldn't hear anyone moving around in the apartments that shared his walls, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be able to hear him and Beth tussling around. Maybe they'll think they finally accepted this paired bullshit. That was fine if they did, hopefully they'll take the noise as them gettin' busy all over their apartment. _Fuck it_.

Beth peaked around the corner of the hallway as he finished pushing the couches out of the way. He beckoned her over and let himself take her in as she looked around at their living room. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she was chewing on her lower lip. Her hands were stuffed in the back pockets of her jeans, and the long parts of her hair danced around her elbows; the fairness of her hair somehow complemented the paleness of her skin. This girl of honey and milk.

"Hands out of yer pockets, Greene," he directed, making sure he remained opposite her in the little space of their living room. She obeyed, and planted her feet shoulder-width apart. "Ya know what yer doin at all?"

He could trace the small blush that traveled across her cheekbones and couldn't hold back a small smirk. _Girl couldn't tell a lie if she wanted to_. To her credit, she shook her head slightly and shrugged her shoulders. "Only a little," she replied. "Shawn showed me how to throw a punch. And I wrestled around with Maggie when we'd fight, but I get the feeling you fight differently than my sister."

"I wouldn't put it past Maggie Greene to fight dirty," he chuckled and took a step towards Beth. "Ya got a good stance, make it so ya don' fall over. Yer little, so if ya go down, it'll be easier fer someone ta...hurt ya when yer down." He finished his thought awkwardly, his mind running through all the possible ways someone could hurt Beth. He shook his head slightly to release the horrible thoughts that suddenly plagued him, making sure to cover the action by tossing his bangs out of his eyes.

"Maggie always told me I was quick," Beth's tone implied a question, looking to Daryl to continue his directions.

"Quick is good. Quick'll save yer ass," he confirmed. He stood about six inches away from her and made it look like he was assessing her stance, then shot his hand out and shoved her in the shoulder. Beth squeaked and fell backwards on to the couch. She looked up at him with an incredulous expression on her face. "Not quick enough, girl."

Beth narrowed her eyes in response and pushed herself up to return to her spot in front of Daryl. "I haven't had my coffee yet," she stated.

"And ya ain't gonna have yer coffee til ya show me you can do somethin' useful," he retorted, and shoved her other shoulder this time. She once again fell back on to the couch.

That was a week ago. Daryl still hadn't entered her bedroom to wake her up, and she still hadn't gotten her coffee. She was showing improvement, that was for sure. Girl picked things up quick, she'd be right hard to catch if the person going after her wasn't an expert. Maybe eventually she'd be able to take on someone who knew what they were doing. He was still appraising her progress when she took him out with some bullshit move that made him look like a moron and fall next to her on to the living room floor. He swore loudly when he landed and he could make out the smile tugging at the corners of Beth's pink lips in response. Girl thought she was hot shit. He rolled his eyes as she muttered at him. Was Beth always this snappy when they were out on the road this winter? Girl was spoiled now that she had coffee in her life again.

When he conceded to her having a small amount of coffee for taking him down he had to keep from laughing out loud at her response. He settled for rolling his eyes, and turned his head to watch her sprint for the coffeemaker in the kitchen while he remained sprawled on the floor. He curls were loose again - they always ended up that way. She was practically bouncing as she went through the steps of preparing her coffee. Her joy was infectious - only this girl could get so worked up over something as simple as half a cup of coffee, but he felt her excitement cast its tendrils into his chest and take root. He smiled as he watched her, and when she turned back to him and took her first sip, she smiled at him as well.

Yeah. This would be what killed him.


	21. He's Gotta Be Sure and Its Gotta Be Soon

**A/N: Thank you all for your patience and encouragement while I work on this story. Your messages and reviews make me so unbelievably happy I can't even express it adequately. Knowing that you all are still reading and enjoying this story gives me the kick in the ass I need to sit down and actually write on my night off, and for that I'm truly thankful. You're wonderful, for reals.**

* * *

"A meetin'?" Daryl asked, letting his cigarette drop to his side. He blew the smoke above Rick's head, keeping his eyes on the other man. Rick stood with his hands on his hips, and Daryl could see him run his fingers along the place where his gun used to rest. He was glad he wasn't the only one who was bothered that they still hadn't been armed; it'd been weeks, and it seemed like the longer they remained at Woodbury, the fewer rights they had. The curfew that Philip had sanctioned was still in place, and it seemed that every time their group tried to have a private gathering one of Philip's goons would show up and "encourage" them to go back to their separate dwellings.

Now this meeting. They'd never had one of these before.

"Herschel told me this mornin'," Rick replied. "Said someone came into the medical center and told them about it. Guess this happens every once in a while, but no one would give him much more information than that. Jus' said it was like a town hall meetin'." Rick kicked at the concrete, his eyes cutting to Daryl's cigarette. "Where'd you get that?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Merle," Daryl answered, crushing the end of the tobacco out with his fingertips and flicking the filter away from him. "I don' trust town hall meetin's to be honest," he looked up to meet Rick's gaze. "The Governor don' seem much like he'd welcome other people's opinions on how he runs shit."

Rick nodded and glanced around them. They stood just inside an alley, but Daryl knew there was no way Rick was letting his guard down no matter how long they'd been inside the walls. They faced each other, both men scanning the area behind the other, keeping a constant watch.

"We better get back to work, m'smoke break is over," Daryl muttered, as he stepped out of the alley. Rick snorted a laugh and followed, easily matching his stride as they made their way back to the construction site. "How's Lori doin'?"

"She's good, finally puttin' on more weight. You know it's a good thing when she can complain that she's gettin' fat. Never thought I'd be happy to have that fight," Rick answered, smiling at his own words. "How's Beth? Lori was wonderin' after her. You two barely sat down when Gorman kicked y'all out the last time we had everyone over."

Daryl exhaled loudly. "Gorman's a piece of shit. Tha' bastard has his eye on Beth an' keeps lookin' for a reason to start a fight with me."

"And I thought Beth was the teenager?" Rick teased.

"Phhhhh. Shut up man," Daryl replied, shaking his head at his friend. "No need ta be a dick."

"But really, how is Beth?" Rick asked again.

Daryl was quiet for a moment. He had been trying to keep Beth out of his head while he wasn't around her. He still woke her up every morning to practice fighting, this morning he'd been a fucking moron and had let his eyes linger on her face in the moments while she slept before he'd let the door hit the wall to wake her. Her honey hair was spread all over the pillows, a light flush was spread across her cheeks. She had blonde eyelashes. He'd never seen that before, never let himself look that closely at her. Everything about this girl was radiant and fine and the morning light did nothing but bring those qualities into sharp relief. Sometimes she earned herself a cup of coffee, but every morning she took it upon herself to make the two of them breakfast. He'd caught her watching him eat a few days ago, she'd had a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. When he'd blushed and called her out on it, she'd simply said she was happy he liked her cooking. He'd called her crazy and told her to get her boots on so they could go to work. At night they'd sit in their living room, sometimes she'd read out loud to him. Other times she'd write in a notebook Carl had swiped from the school and given to her. Then she'd whisper goodnight to him and walk quietly down to the bedroom. He'd wait to hear the door click before letting his head fall against the couch, half hoping a pillow would smother him in his sleep and put him out of his misery.

Obviously, not thinking of her was going great. Just fucking great.

Daryl realized he'd probably been quiet for a beat too long before he finally answered Rick. "She's fine." He coughed. "Tryin' ta teach her how ta fight in the mornin's. M'startin' ta wonder what the neighbors must think of us."

"Probably that you're married," Rick responded quickly. He kept his eyes forward but let a smile curl around his words to let Daryl know he was teasing him again. "And that y'all can't keep it in your pants in the mornings."

Daryl rolled his eyes and shoved Rick's shoulder. "Thought I told ya ta shut up man?"

The two fell into an amiable silence as they continued the walk back through town. As they approached the construction site they'd been working at, one of the Governor's goons, Daryl couldn't fucking remember his name, called out to them.

"You need to get to the meeting. Mandatory for everyone, no exceptions," the man rested a hand on the strap that held a large automatic gun on his back.

Rick and Daryl exchanged glances, and after a moment Rick shrugged and nodded. The man looked relieved that he wasn't going to have to argue with them before pointing off to his left.

"The meetings take place in the old basketball court. Keep walkin' that way and you'll get there." With his directions complete, he turned and approached another group of men to deliver the same message.

* * *

People were sitting in the stands that surrounded a decaying basketball court, and it took the men a moment to spot the other members of their group. Carol and Herschel each raised a hand to grab their attention, beckoning them over. Rick sat down next to Herschel, and Carol scooted over to make room for Daryl.

"Where's Beth?" he asked immediately, glancing around the stands. Beth's blonde mane was easy to pick out in a crowd, he should have been able to find her as soon as he walked in. He let that fact pass by without settling too long on it.

Carol arched an eyebrow at his lack of greeting, but when she saw that she wasn't getting a reaction out of him, she relented. "I don't know actually. I stepped away from the garden to use the bathroom, she and Maggie were there when I left. When I was on my way back, Rambo over there," she jerked her in chin in the direction of one of the goons, "Told me to come to this meeting. The garden was closer than where I was though, I figured they'd be here by now. Maybe Beth went to find you?"

Daryl shook his head and stood up to see if it would help him see through the crowd better. It did help, he managed to locate Lori and Carl arriving with the rest of children from the school, and T-Dog close behind. The three of them made their way towards the stands, T-Dog shuffling his way past to sit on Carol's other side while Lori and Carl found spaces next to Rick.

 _Three down..._

It shouldn't have been so hard to find one Korean guy and two skinny girls. Where the fuck were they?

Just as Daryl was about to call down to Lori to see if she'd seen the girls or Glenn, Phillip strode into the center of the basketball court. Everyone in the stands fell silent at his entry, and Daryl let himself drop back into his seat.

"Hello everyone," Philip's booming voice filled the area and he held up both hands in a greeting. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice, I know there are so many important things to be done to keep our community moving forwards, and I'm loathe to take any of you away from them."

"Then why the fuck did he?" Daryl muttered under his breath. He knew Carol heard him though, she elbowed him in the side so hard he almost lost his balance and knocked into T-Dog. "Damn it woman," he mumbled, rubbing the spot she hit.

"I know that everyone here has made Woodbury their home. You have taken on your responsibilities with stride even as we face such horrible darkness outside of our sanctuary walls. Part of that responsibility is to make this place a safe and functional home for our children. Every single person here has agreed to these conditions, am I right?"

A round of enthusiastic applause made its way through the crowd, and a smile broke out on Philip's face. He had began to rotate in a circle as he spoke, making sure to address everyone in the stands, make them feel like he was talking to them. Slowly, he had turned a full rotation and was now facing Daryl and his group. He watched as the expression on Philip's face changed. The smile fell, and a look of unbridled anger took its place. Daryl felt a shiver run down his spine. Had this fucker found out that he was training Beth? _Shit._

"There has been a betrayal of these rules. And by extension, a betrayal of the hospitality of the people of Woodbury," he bellowed.

Daryl turned his head to look down the bench at Rick. He met his eyes briefly and shook his head slightly to let him know that he wasn't sure what was happening either. The other members of their group all wore similar looks of confusion as the crowd responded with angry shouts that seemed to spur Philip on.

"What happens to rule breakers?" Philip's voice was quiet, but the edge to his words was obvious. "We can't trust them to learn from their mistakes all on their own. Not even the smallest child can be expected to do that. Without rules, there is no order. Without order, how can I keep Woodbury safe? How can I keep _you_ safe?"

Philip shifted his eyes and met Daryl's straight on. Daryl felt his heart stutter for a moment; there was no life in this man's eyes, only a calculating anger that Daryl knew only too well. It was the look of a predator making a considered strike. Philip must have made some sort of signal, because suddenly four of the goons entered into the basketball court, escorting in a blindfolded and tied up Maggie and Glenn. Behind them, Merle entered, frowning as he met Daryl's eyes in the crowd. Merle dropped his gaze and reached back behind him, pulling Beth forward and thrusting her on to the broken concrete. Her hands tied behind her back and her eyes covered, she tripped fell to the ground, crying out as the skin scraped off her arm.

"What happens to rule breakers?" Philip repeated purposefully. "They get punished."


	22. Make Me A Beast Half As Brave

There was this moment of absolute stillness that would wash over Daryl's body; it was a feeling that he was intimately familiar with. Time slowed down, sound muffled and started to fade away; his vision though, his vision sharpened - expanded, even. He could see everything crystal clear, all the way out to his periphery. He was able to take in every detail of his surroundings, allowing him to plan his own movements and actions in response to everything that was going on around him. It usually happened when he was hunting, sometimes when he was fighting walkers, once or twice when he was in a barfight, and every day when he was a kid. Once or twice he had the passing thought that it should have been a feeling of panic that flooded through him instead, who the fuck knows, maybe at one point in the darkness of his childhood it _was_ panic. At some point panic had turned to calm, and he was grateful for whatever little break he got because he sure as shit knew it was often the thing that saved his ass.

Right now though, right now he felt something akin to panic.

Daryl felt a cold settle over his skin at the same time as a hot heavy heat punched him right in the gut. Beth was pulled up from the ground by Merle, and Daryl heard her cry out in confusion as she tried to get her bearings with her eyes still covered. The sound startled him more than he was expecting and he realized he hadn't heard her cry out since the farm. When her mama'd come out of the barn and tried to grab her, she'd cried. He remembered hearing her sobs when Maggie and Lori'd gone tearing up the stairs to pull her out of that bathroom and pry that shard of glass out of her shaking hands. Not since though. All those months on the run he'd never heard her make more noise than was necessary, she'd never made a ruckus. She was scared now. She was so scared that she was whimperin'; and he couldn't reach her.

His mouth went dry and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as he initially watched Merle handle Beth. He pulled on her arm quickly, making it appear that he was roughing her up; but Daryl noticed the way he managed the tension in Beth's arm and the weight of her body as she found her balance - Merle was faking it. Merle whispered something behind Beth's right ear, and Daryl was pretty sure he was the only one who saw it, the Governor was starting his ranting up again, drawing his audience's attention back towards him.

"These people!" he bellowed, gesturing grandly to Maggie, Glenn, and Beth who were lined up haphazardly behind him. "These people have broken our rules. And they need to be punished!"

Daryl turned towards Herschel, who was watching the events unfold with a look on his face that could have easily been interpreted as impassivity. But Daryl saw the tension in the corners of the man's downturned mouth. For a moment, Daryl could imagine what it must have been like for Beth to have grown up with this man as her dad. He could see Herschel making the same face he was making now at Beth when she smarted back at her Mama, or at Maggie when she snuck in past curfew; he was a strict man with expectations and he respected rules, but he loved his girls, so he'd give them the chance to explain themselves before he reprimanded them.

"These people have been trading in items that have been deemed illegal in Woodbury. Birth control, of any sort, goes against everything that we are trying to build here! We are a community that will grow only through the children we bring into this new world. These children are the physical embodiment of our future. And these three have taken steps to KILL this future!" The Governor's voice rose as he spoke, until he was screaming the final words.

 _Fuck._

 _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

He _told_ Glenn to cool it with that shit. Of fucking course they didn't. Glenn and Maggie were always thinking with their crotches.

 _Wait. Fuck._ Why the fuck was Beth there? Was Beth gettin' condoms from that chick Glenn had mentioned? She wasn't usin' them with him...What the _fuck_ was going on?

Daryl caught movement from the corner of his eye as Herschel cast a glare at him. _Shit_. Herschel was going to think he was leaving Beth to take the blame for something - that if it had been _true_ \- would have fallen on both their shoulders. If he had been fuckin' Beth, Daryl sure as shit would have traded places with her in this moment. Despite the uncomfortable weight of Herschel's fixed stare, Daryl refused to take his eyes off the scene playing out in front of him.

"Now, I find myself in a rough spot. As these three young people here are still relatively new to our community, I wonder if I should be lenient with their punishment," Philip was pacing in front of the three trussed-up members of Daryl's family, his hands joined behind his back in an exaggeratedly pensive stance. Daryl would bet good money though that this man didn't have any qualms about doling out punishment to his group, that his mind was already made up and he was just playing this shit for all it was worth to get the crowd on his side, let them think he gave a fuck or suffered in making a reluctant decision to hurt Beth or Maggie or Glenn. "But, I worry for Woodbury. I worry that without a strict punishment, these three will simply fall back into their bad habits, or even worse, they may start to think that it is not a problem to break the rules here. I ask you, what might they do next if we don't stop them?"

The crowd answered in a chorus of angry hollers. In the corner of his eye Daryl could see Rick lean forward on his seat, but he refused to look away from Beth. She couldn't see him, hell she had no way of even knowing he was there, but he needed to be there for her, even if it was only for himself. This shit was getting fucking out of hand. Everyone around their group was still yelling, the snarls of anger were working their way through the crowd.

Philip nodded at one of his henchmen and he stepped forward with a switch. Herschel and Rick both stood up in an instant, but Daryl felt paralyzed. _No no no no. Not this. Not this for Beth. She can't...she don't deserve this. No matter what she did, she shouldn't...she wasn't him. Dixons got that shit, not Beth Gr... Dixon. FUCK. She was a Dixon now, and she was getting what he got._ He couldn't move, he couldn't get to her. He couldn't hear past the roaring in his ears. Herschel was pleading with Philip to give his daughters a reprieve, Rick was reaching out a hand to assuage the rising tension between the Governor and his own group.

Philip's response was brief, but firm. "Sit down Mr. Greene; or it will get so much worse."

One of the henchmen pushed Glenn forward towards another who took hold of his bound hands. The first took up the switch and with a signal from Philip, he swung the thin piece of wood through the air and brought it down on Glenn's back. To his credit, Glenn did not cry out like Daryl had been expecting him to. His sharp intake of breath alternated with the sound of the switch cutting through the air, repeating five times before the guard released Glenn and pushed him to the ground. Glenn fell hard and Maggie called out for him.

She was pulled forward next by the Governor's men. Herschel did not stand up again, but both he and Rick sat forward in their seats, tension radiating from their bodies as they watched what was happening in front of them. Lori had a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her gasp as the first blow landed across Maggie's back. T-Dog took Carol's hand after the third blow and Maggie cried out in pain.

Daryl only watched Beth.

She was crying, he thought. Her shoulders looked like they were trembling though she wasn't making any noise. _Stay strong, girl. Stay strong and it will be over soon._

After Maggie was tossed aside as well, Beth was pushed to center stage. By now the crowd of Woodbury residents was thirsty for blood, crying out for Beth's pain at the Governor's behest. Daryl didn't even know he had stood up until Rick was tugging on his sleeve.

"I said sit down Mr. Dixon!" the Governor bellowed over the noise of the crowd.

"Leave her the fuck alone!" Daryl called back. He made to take a step towards Beth, but Herschel stood to block his way.

"Sit down, son," Herschel said quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Daryl brushed his hand off and pointed down at Beth. At hearing Daryl's name called out by the Governor she had begun to scan the crowd for his location, turning towards the general area where Daryl's voice had rang from. "That's yer daughter. Maggie already got her ass beat, ya want that fer Beth too?"

"Daryl, please," Herschel answered. His voice was broken, pleading. "I don't know what they did, and we'll take care of them afterwards. But I don't want them to be hurt any worse than they are. You know, and I know, that it can be so much worse than a switch." Daryl broke his gaze from Beth's frightened face to turn to Herschel. The old man's eyes were tearing up and the corners of his mouth trembled as he fought against his upset. Daryl held his gaze for a handful of moments before turning around.

"Fuck," was Daryl's only reply as he dropped back to his seat, his stance now matching Rick and Herschel's as he balanced on the edge of his chair.

"Agreed," Herschel bit out.

The man who was carrying out the punishments lifted the switch and brought it down on Beth's back. She gritted her teeth but didn't make a sound. Daryl dug his fingers into his thighs, praying the pain he caused himself would distract him from the clench he felt in his heart. _Please make it stop. Please. I'll do anythin'. Whatever this girl wants I'll give it to her. I'll give her coffee. I'll stop thinkin' like a perv. I'll leave. I'll stay. I'll give her a baby. I'll disappear into the night. Anythin' she wants. Please jus' make it stop._

She made it until the last strike before she let out a sound. It was a quiet cry that escaped through her teeth, but it crept into Daryl's body. He felt it enter into the raw places he's chewed open next to his fingernails and he felt it wind its way up into his stomach where he was sure it was going to make him sick.

Merle stepped up then and as he jostled Beth to step back, Daryl saw him lean in to whisper in her ear. The sneer on Merle's face was identical to the one their father wore when he had something particularly nasty to say to their mother. Beth lurched forward, trying to jerk her arm away from Merle's grasp, and lost her footing. One of her legs had shot behind her, tripping up Merle and sending him tumbling right along with her. Merle crashed next to Beth, expletives spewing from his mouth and his knife-arm narrowly missed taking a chunk out of her arm. The Governor reached down and pulled her up to stand in one swift motion, further discombobulating her and causing her to cry out in distress.

"Ms. Dixon," he stated smoothly, anchoring her focus on him. "It appears you assaulted one of my men."

Beth shook her head, and attempted to explain to the Governor what had happened, but he spoke over her. "This is very serious Ms. Dixon."

The bloodthirsty atmosphere in the old basketball court had vanished as soon as the Governor had spoken. The quiet unsettled Daryl, and he dared to cut his eyes over to Rick, but the man was staring hard at Merle, his mouth pressed in a hard line as he held tight to Lori's hand.

"You have two choices Ms. Dixon. You can either take another physical punishment, and let me assure you it will be more painful than the one you just endured," the Governor spoke in a voice that hinted at disappointment in Beth. Maggie cried out from where she was being held by another guard, her yelling steadily gaining volume and curses to the point that the guard gagged her with another cloth tie. "Or," his voice rose to be heard above Maggie's screams. "Or, I can delegate your punishment to one of my guards and they will carry it out as they see fit."

 _Oh fuck that._

Daryl stood up but hesitated to move. He felt completely powerless. If he charged at the Governor, he didn't doubt for a second that they'd shoot his ass. Then he'd be dead and Beth'd still be hurtin'. Or he could sit up in the stand watching them beat his...roommate? Friend? Wife? _Jesus fuck Dixon focus your shit_.

"I'll take her," Merle said, pushing himself off the ground and stepping forward. "I'll make sure to whip her good." His eyes flicked up to meet his brother's, and Daryl knew that he was trying to make up for whatever had happened between him and Beth. He wouldn't hurt her. He might annoy the fuck out of her, but she would be safe.

"No thank you Mr. Dixon. I think it might be considered a conflict of interest for you to take charge of the punishment of your sister in law," the Governor replied smoothly. "Mr. Gorman will be responsible for young Beth here's discipline, if she so chooses," he added quickly.

 _Nope. No. Not fucking happening_. He'd risk getting shot to keep that from happening.

He must have said those words out loud because the Governor's attention was on him again. Beth was turned in his general direction as well. "This fucker ain't touchin' Beth!" Daryl yelled down at him.

"Well Mr. Dixon, technically it is Beth's choice," the Governor replied. "Which will it be, ma'am?"

There was a moment of doubt that blossomed in Daryl's gut as he watched Beth freeze. Beth wasn't beholden to him. If she wanted to go with that Gorman fucker, she could. It'd fucking kill Daryl, but he fucking got it. He would never ask her to endure the pain from another beating to keep herself out of some piece of shit's hands.

Even blindfolded, Daryl could feel the weight of Beth's gaze on him. He knew she was looking at him, even if she couldn't see him. She didn't turn away from him when she answered the Governor. "I'll stay here, thank you very much."

"As the lady wishes," the Governor answered, and pushed Beth to her knees. Two men came forward and held on to each of Beth's arms; when she looked inquisitively in the Governor's direction he responded simply, "So you don't hurt yourself trying to escape the pain."

The Governor held a hand out to Merle, and Daryl had to choke down vomit as he watched his brother pull his belt off and hand it to the Governor. Carol reached up and pulled Daryl down next to her, but when she tried to put her arm around him he shrugged her off. If Beth didn't have anyone to comfort her down there, he sure as fuck didn't need anyone either.

Beth was breathing deeply and it was moving her shoulders up and down as she waited for whatever was in store for her. The Governor stealthily paced behind her, like he was hunting her. Daryl's hands clenched, and for the millionth time since arriving he viscerally wished he still had his bow.

The first blow caught Beth off guard and she cried out as the sharp pain cut across her back. Daryl's scars began to itch. He knew what she was feeling. He knew what the cut of a belt felt like as it kissed the skin. He only prayed her skin was tough enough to keep from breaking open.

By the third blow she was openly weeping. Daryl couldn't see any blood, but he knew she couldn't last much longer. He knew that as soon as he stood up he was going to be sick. He could feel the slice of the belt and hear his father screaming obscenities in his ear. Maggie was kickin' up a storm, throwing all her weight against the guards, trying to get to Beth. Herschel had his face in his hands, Daryl couldn't tell if he was crying or if he just couldn't bear to watch.

The fifth crack with the belt was the one that drew blood. Daryl saw it splatter on the ground as the Governor stepped back from Beth. He could taste it in his mouth as he bit down on his lip to keep from crying or screaming or setting this fucking town on fire and watching it burn to the ground. He was going to make these bastards pay for this. His girl of light and sun and joy was crying and bleeding on the fucking concrete and he couldn't do a goddamn thing without getting his family killed. His eyes glanced away from Beth for one second and met those of the Governor. The fucker's mouth twitched into a small smile.

"Well, that's that Ms. Dixon. I think we're done for today."


	23. Let's Compare Scars

**A/N: I'm working on not taking such long breaks between chapters, so here's a little teeny chapter while I get my ass into gear working on more. You guys are amazing, and your reviews warm the corners of my Bethyl-loving heart and get my fingers typing away.**

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 _This is how I die._

The thought crept unbidden into her head and skittered across her consciousness before she had the wherewithal to lock it down or dismiss it. The pain of whatever it was Philip was beating her with was worse than anything she had ever felt. The only thing that even came close was the pain of realizing that she'd never again feel her mama run her fingers through her loose hair or see the smirk creep across Shawn's face whenever they overheard Maggie fighting with daddy about coming in after curfew. The sharpness of the lashes made her hiss; she felt like she couldn't catch her breath, she couldn't steady herself. _They'll kill me, all for me being a dumbass_.

When it was over, Beth realized she couldn't stand. Two people had to haul her to her feet. She felt like a cloud had descended in her mind, she wasn't able to focus on anything except the burning pain across her back. Gorman leaned in and whispered something in her ear, moments later followed by Merle doing the same. She felt each of their breath pass across her ear, but she didn't process what they'd said. She stumbled forward a step and thought she was going to fall again, keep falling and falling until the ground swallowed her up and she didn't have to face this horrible life for another stupid day. But she didn't. Hands caught her and gripped her forearms. A man's hands.

Suddenly she could see again. The brightness the mid-afternoon sun threw her momentarily while her eyes focused on who was in front her.

"Daryl," she breathed him name like a prayer. Everything she was seeking and the answer all wrapped up together.

"Hey girl," he murmured and frowned as he took her in, and suddenly Beth felt self-conscious. _How bad did she look? She must have been a mess. Wait, why did she care?_ Evidently she had started to pull her hands away from his without knowing, because his grip tightened and he spoke again. "Don' pull, yer already cuttin' into the skin," he looked pointedly down at her wrists. She was bleeding where the zip ties where tight against the bone.

"I...I didn't realize...," she began to explain.

"Shhhhh now girl," he soothed as he ran his thumb along the skin of her wrist where it rubbed against the plastic of the zip tie. "S'alright. We'll get this shit off ya. I jus...," he trailed off and she cocked her head to figure out what gave him pause. "I ain' got a knife in this fuckin' place," he answered her, guilt and anger creeping into his voice.

"Use mine baby brother," Merle stepped in and cut the hard plastic from Beth's wrists before she could even respond. The second she was loose from her binds she stepped away from both men. She wanted to be as far away from Merle as possible, which inadvertently took her away from Daryl as well. Beth kept her eyes on Merle and watched as he took in her reaction to his proximity. She saw Daryl narrow his eyes at her and look over to Merle as well.

"Sorry 'bout that, lil' girl," Merle drawled, tucking his knife back into a pocket. Beth saw worry in his eyes, disguised by bravado and snark. There was no worry there for her. Only for Daryl and his good opinion. She knew that Merle wanted nothing more than for her to kept her mouth shut about what had gone down here today.

Today was not a day that she felt capable of dealing with other people's feelings.

"I want to go home, Daryl." She knew that she spoke out loud, she had felt the muscles work in her throat. But it was barely more than a whisper. Both of the Dixon men heard her though. _God bless the ears of hunters_ , she didn't think she had it in her to repeat herself.

Daryl's gaze stayed on her, and she knew he was analyzing her. He must have seen enough in her face to know that he shouldn't push her - not here, not in this moment. He stepped into her space, and when she didn't pull back, he lightly reached his arm out to her and beckoned her to him with a slight movement of his head. She crossed the space between them, allowing herself to be drawn into Daryl's side. She felt him curl his fingertips into her upper arm, dancing on the edge of the sharp pains in her back. _Not here. I will not cry here_.

"I'm gettin' Beth back to her daddy, and takin' her away from this fuckin' circus. But I swear to fuckin' God Merle, yer gonna tell me what the fuck is goin' on here. And why my wife jus' took a fuckin' beatin' for yer sorry ass." Daryl's voice was different than Beth had ever heard it before. It was cold, sharp. Terrifying. Beth knew she never wanted to hear Daryl speak like that to her, and knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would get the whole story out of her before the night was through.

Daryl spun her away from Merle and started walking her quickly away from...a basketball court? There were bleachers. People had watched her and Maggie and Glenn get beaten and cheered it on while sitting on bleachers like it was a _show_. A sob made its way up her chest and spilled out of her before she could stop it.

"I know girl," Daryl murmured, his voice raspy and quiet. His tone was tight and she could feel his tension practically vibrating through the arm he kept wrapped around her. Beth couldn't keep the strength in her legs though. She was falling again.

And then she wasn't. Daryl had her. Again. He'd scooped her up and was carrying her in his arms.

Pain shot through the wounds on her back as his arms found purchase around her. And then it was dark. All mercifully dark and quiet.


	24. But Now We Call Against the Tide

**A/N: Here's another small chapter (if I had planned better, maybe it would have been combined with the last one) before things start to get very exciting, if I do say so myself. Thank you all so much for the reviews, they make me smile and type faster.**

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Daryl felt Beth's body go limp in his arms, and for a moment he felt his heart completely stop. A dark thought entered his mind, a premonition of what could be - _this is what it would feel like if she died in my arms_. He fought the bile that rose in his throat and reminded himself to focus, focus on the things that were actually in front of him. He could feel her ribs moving tight against his chest as she breathed in and out; he could see her pulse beat quickly in her neck. She was here, still here with him.

Merle tried to say something else to him, but he'd had enough of his brother for the time being. He walked swiftly past him, trying hard not to jostle Beth too much. Daryl had been the first one down the bleachers the second the Governor had dismissed the crowd, running to pull Beth out of there. He saw Gorman and Merle each take hold of one of her arms and he'd had to hold back every urge to knock over lingering Woodbury people to get to her, to get their fucking hands off her. By the time he had gotten her away from the Governor's men, the rest of their group had reached the edge of the basketball court.

Herschel and Rick met him as he walked and immediately turned to match his stride and get away from the scene as quickly as possible.

"She jus' passed out. I picked her up and..." Daryl trailed off as he tried to explain to Herschel.

"It's ok, son," he responded, his voice crisp. Daryl recognized the man's tone from when he'd doctored him back at the farm. "She may be in shock though; we need to get her back to one of the apartments."

Daryl was way ahead of him. He was getting Beth the fuck out of here.

"Beth!" Maggie had trotted up next to him and was running her hands over Beth's face, trying desperately to rouse her. Daryl didn't know the details of what had happened that resulted in today's little public show, but he knew that Maggie was somehow involved in Beth getting the shit beaten out of her.

"Fuck off Maggie," Daryl bit out. He knew she heard him, she pulled back as if he'd physically struck her. He knew it wasn't completely fair to blame her, that she'd suffered right along with her sister, but right now she was fair game in his mind. She and Glenn had caused him to feel this pain, to force him to acknowledge feelings he'd rather have sidestepped for the foreseeable future, and to reveal his vulnerability to the Governor. Maggie was to blame.

"Fuck off yourself Dixon!" she hollered back at him once she recovered herself, jogging to catch back up to him since he'd never broken his stride.

"Margaret," Herschel's address was firm and caught Maggie's attention. "Not now. We need to get her inside." Maggie nodded in response, having the decency to look chastised by her father's words.

Daryl turned down the street towards the apartment he shared with Beth, sparing a moment to worry about Herschel arguing with him. He wouldn't have blamed the older man, he felt it too, the need to be close to Beth, to protect her. Daryl wanted her in their own home. He didn't care if Herschel moved into the fucking living room and he had to sleep on his own kitchen floor; the apartment was their space, he and Beth had carved out their own sense of normalcy there, and for better or for worse, _their_ space was where he wanted to go to ground with Beth.

They made it inside his building, Rick rushing ahead of him to open the doors so he could ease Beth through. He directed Rick to the door of their apartment, resisting the urge to simply kick the door in so he could let Herschel tend to Beth. He felt an ounce of the tension release that had been crushing his chest when he crossed the threshold into his place - their place. He strode into the living room and lowered Beth on to the couch, backing away immediately so Herschel could take his place. Rick moved to place a pillow under her feet as Herschel took her pulse, his mouth moving unconsciously as he counted the beats of his daughter's heart. Daryl realized the rest of their group had followed him to his apartment. His first impulse was to snap at them to get the fuck out. He didn't need this shit. But the look in Carol's eyes stopped him; she looked haunted. They all did.

"Y'all gonna stick around then make yerselves useful," he could concede to having them there, but he'd prefer to not have them all staring at him and Beth like a pack of lost puppies.

"Carol," Herschel called, his voice authoritative but quiet. "Can you get Bethy some water? Blankets as well?"

Carol nodded in response and moved to walk down the hall to the bedroom. _Her_ bedroom. Daryl cut her off before she made it too far. "I'll get 'em. Get her some water," his tone must have been sharp, because Carol simply raised an eyebrow at him. "I'll get her blankets," he stated, turning to the hallway before she could argue with him.

When he entered her room, the light from the late-afternoon sun was retreating across the bed. He closed the door most of the way behind him, giving himself a moment to take in the room. He hadn't really let himself look inside since that morning he'd glimpsed her painted toenails as she slept, blissfully unaware of his presence. She'd placed a go-bag behind the door, there was a notebook and a pen on the nightstand next to the bed, an extra shirt lay at the foot of the bed as though she'd had trouble deciding between it and another when she'd gotten dressed that morning. He couldn't explain why he wouldn't let Carol enter her room, other than it was _Beth's_ room. Suddenly he had trouble taking in enough air.

He shook his head a little to clear his convoluted thoughts, reaching down and picking up a quilt off the bed and heading back to the living room. Maggie and Carol were carefully removing Beth's jacket and Rick was returning from the kitchen with a cold compress in hand. Herschel placed it on Beth's face and Lori was rubbing her hands up and down Beth's legs. Daryl was struck with a feeling of complete uselessness; he knew that if he left, it wouldn't make a difference. Beth would still wake up, she would still be hurting. He was about to give in to the very sudden and very strong urge to drop the blanket he held and turn tail when something happened that just about kicked him in the ass and scared the shit out of him more than anything had in many years.

Beth's eyes fluttered open, and she spoke; calling quietly, "Daryl?"


	25. I'm Broken in Two and You're On to Me

**A/N: Oh you wonderful beautiful people! You've all written me such nice reviews and sent me such encouraging messages that its gotten me to keep this story going. I've been so crazed and busy and your kind words have made me feel so happy that I just had to get this next chapter out to you. I'll keep trying to be less delinquent in my updates!**

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"Daryl," her soft voice called to him across the crowded apartment. She was a fair distance away, but he heard her like she had whispered in his ear, a chill crawling down his spine as though her breath really had caressed the shell of his ear, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He crossed the room in two long strides and crouched down next to her chest, for once not giving a damn who was around to see.

"'m here, girl," he murmured, his voice felt sounding rough to his own ears. A voice like broken metal scraping across gravel fell out of his mouth, reaching Beth before he could pull it back. Her eyes didn't open all the way but her hand sought out his and grasped his fingers tightly. Once she had a hold of him, she interlaced their fingers in the same way they had back when the two of them had first gotten stuck with one another, marching back to their strange apartment in this bizarre town in this strange new world.

"Where'd you go?" she asked quietly.

He squeezed her hand as he answered, "Didn' go nowhere, Beth. Been right here."

"Mmmm," she hummed, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Good."

Daryl's heart had calmed in her vicinity, the sound of her voice soothing all the fear, ugliness and guilt that had moments ago been compelling him to cut and run.

"Bethy," Herschel's voice broke into Daryl's consciousness, causing a ripple in the placidity he'd been allowing to wash over him.

Her eyes shot open fully then, realizing she wasn't alone with Daryl. She looked down her body at her father who had been sitting on the coffee table near her legs.

Daryl could see the awareness make its way across her features, could feel it as she clenched her hand tighter in his. She remembered, and she felt the pain again.

"Daddy...?" she trailed off, but the question was there plain as day - _what happened to me?_

"They whipped you," Herschel stated. Daryl was amazed that the man was able to keep his composure, delivering this news like he was telling someone they had the chicken pox. But he saw it; the pain in Herschel's eyes had to be a mirror of his own.

"Maggie?" Beth asked next, her eyes looking up and around her for her sister.

"I'm here Beth," Maggie's voice held none of the discipline that Herschel's did. Her words caught in her chest and she was fighting back a sob when she crossed around the couch so that Beth could see her. "I'm so sorry Bethy, I'm so sorry..." her words getting lost in tears.

"What the fuck happened?" Daryl bit out. His eyes were narrowed at Maggie as she took over Beth's attention; he moved his gaze across the room to Glenn who was sitting on the floor in front of T-Dog, who was looking over Glenn's wounds while the rest of the group tended to Beth. He could feel his teeth grinding as he fought the urge to up and punch Maggie right in the face. He had never hit a woman, but today was as good a day as any to change that.

"Remember what I told you a few weeks ago?" Glenn spoke up, careful to avoid Daryl's piercing stare.

"No I do not," Herschel cut in, his voice still cold and distant.

Glenn coughed and cleared his throat, his eyes staying resolutely on the floor in front of him. "Well, um... someone approached us about getting a hold of um...You know, getting a hold of..."

"Spit it out son," Herschel's voice was quiet and commanding.

"Condoms."

The weighted silence that followed that one word felt unending to Daryl. He could feel the heat of embarrassment creeping across his skin at the implication. His mind was going in a hundred different directions at once. _This fucking nonsense was about sex?_ _Beth had gotten condoms?_ He couldn't breathe. The silence was going to suffocate him. Thankfully the other members of the group took to ending the stifling quiet real quick.

"Seriously?" Carol's disappointed tone spoke volumes.

"And you took them up on it?" Rick questioned, his disbelief echoing Carol's. "You trusted them? A stranger?"

"We did. I did," Maggie stated as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "This was my fault. This girl came up to me an' Beth when we were working; she was making small talk and gettin' friendly. She said a couple things about Woodbury, she seemed critical of the whole pairin' system and people havin' babies while there are walkers bangin' on the front door. I told her I thought it was crazy too, that me and Glenn hadn't thought 'bout havin' kids yet. Then she said she knew someone who could get me protection, keep me and Beth from endin' up pregnant." She looked down at Beth and swallowed hard. "I'm so sorry that I took her up on it Bethy."

"How many times did you meet up with her?" Rick asked. He'd started pacing, and crossed his arms as he spoke.

"A few," Maggie shrugged. "I tried to offer her extra food when we worked in the kitchens, but she always said no, jus' told me I owed her one."

"You were in on this too Beth?" Herschel looked to his youngest, once again taking her wrist to measure her pulse, putting off looking at her face by keeping count on his watch.

"No," Maggie answered swiftly. "She was there with me the first time, when the girl offered it. She only came with me to watch my back after that."

Daryl looked up to Beth's face. He could see a faint blush trying to make its way across her drawn complexion. Her eyes skittered downwards, meeting his as she murmured, "I'm sorry Daryl."

He could only shrug his shoulders in response. Words couldn't seem to form in his mind but he for sure as fuck knew that he did not want Beth Greene apologizing about rubbers in front of her daddy, who to his credit, had never once given Daryl a hard time about sharin' home and hearth with his golden youngest daughter. Daryl was itching to pull his hand away from hers; he knew that everyone in the damn room was probably looking at the two of them, thinkin' God knows what. He didn't need anyone askin' him questions and lookin' into his business. He'd never once tried anything with Beth, never let himself think that kind of thing about – _Fuck_. As though she could read his thoughts and see through the bullshit lies he was tellin' himself, Beth grasped his hand tighter. Her fingers were smooth and strong, the weight of her hand in his was light and comforting. The warm silky texture of her skin caused his thoughts to wander left of appropriate, and he began to wonder how it would feel if Beth ran her hands across his chest and down his-

"Y'all are dumbasses," Daryl bit out. _Fuck. This. Shit. No._ The harshness of his tone seemed to startle Beth enough for her to loosen her grip on him. She looked chastised, and pulled her warm hands away from him, wrapping them around her middle. Daryl knew that if their family wasn't there, she would have taken off for her bedroom and slammed the door on him. _Good._ She should slam the door on his dumbass mind while she's at it. Her blush overtook her face now, and she averted her eyes when Daryl glanced at her as he stood up from his place on the ground.

"I'm sorry Daddy," Maggie choked out, taking up Beth's hand that Daryl had let go. "We were real stupid, _I_ was real stupid. There ain't no other way to say it."

Herschel nodded solemnly, before making quick eye contact with his daughters and forcing a small smile for them. Turning his attention fully to Beth, he resumed his professional tone. "Did the second round of...punishments…," Daryl caught the old man swallowing as he said the word, as though it was making him physically ill to speak of it. "Did any of them break the skin, Bethy?"

Beth shook her head, staring hard at the floor. Daryl was surprised that no one questioned her on the matter. Maybe everyone else in the room was afraid of upsetting the girl more, but he didn't particularly give a fuck at this point; he'd worn out the limited social niceties he had at his disposal. He felt so frayed that he was surprised he hadn't come apart yet. Beth had the talent of appearing innocent if it suited her cause, and few people were inclined to doubt her. But Daryl had smelled the coppery tang of blood when he'd scooped Beth up, he knew she was lying to her father.

A knock on the door interrupted Daryl's thoughts before he could call Beth out. Glenn had risen from the floor to answer it, but was forced to dodge the hard swing of the door as three of the Governor's men let themselves into the apartment without announcement.

"You'd think you people'd lost your fuckin' manners," Daryl spit at them. He went to stand at the edge of the living room, blocking the men from further entering the apartment. _His_ apartment. "I hate to deny y'all my southern hospitality, but get the fuck out."

"Mr. Dixon, there isn't a need for that…," one of the men began.

"Y'all came bustin' into _my_ fuckin' apartment," Daryl felt a pressure building in the space between his eyes. He could sense his anger building; he had been made to feel too vulnerable today – too raw. He could feel weakness crawling its way through his limbs followed closely behind by an urge to lash out at everyone and anyone he could reach. He needed to let it out, needed to get this ugliness out before he shot his mouth off at Herschel or Rick or Beth…. These Woodbury assholes would do. "Ain' even waitin' to be lettin' in - "

"It's almost curfew," another of the men cut in sternly. "Y'all need to head on home."

Daryl narrowed his eyes at the men. "Yer goin' to send this girl's father home after yer boss beat her half to shit?" he motioned behind him to Beth. "Are you fuckin - ?"

"Daryl," Herschel prompted, cutting Daryl off. "Do you think you can take care of Beth on your own tonight?"

More than anything Daryl wanted to hit Herschel in that moment. Then he wanted to curl up in a ball with a bottle of moonshine. He wanted to run through the forest after a deer with no one slowing him down and then beat the living shit out of the Governor so that he could feel every second of pain that he put Daryl through. He wanted to kill every fucking walker in the state so he could get a halfway decent night's sleep, and run his hand up Beth's leg and dig his fingers into her small curve of her waist….

"I don't need a babysitter Daddy!" Beth said sharply.

Daryl coughed to cover up the heat he felt creeping up the back of his neck at where he let his thoughts go. "Looks like you fuckin' do," he mumbled. He knew she heard him, because he heard an incredulous, _mmphm_ come from the direction of the couch. "Yeah Herschel. We're fuckin' fine."

Rick moved around him with Lori, shooting him a concerned look over his shoulder as he was hustled out of the apartment by one of the Governor's men. Carol squeezed his arm as she walked by, but still Daryl didn't move. He heard Herschel whisper something to Beth behind him, and felt the man lay a strong hand on his shoulder before joining Carol and T-Dog out in the hall with the second of their guards. Maggie took her sweet time, crying something at Beth while the last man stood tapping his toe at the edge of Daryl's living room. Finally he heard Beth quietly tell her sister to go, and Glenn pulled her along behind him. Once the last of the group had left, Daryl shut the door soundly and dragged the chair over to serve as their makeshift lock.

He stood silently for a time, letting the weariness seep into his bones. Beth stood, a small sound of pain escaping her as she got to her feet. Daryl felt her small warm hand touch his forearm and he shied away from her like it burned.

"I'm sorry Daryl, I really didn't mean –"

"It's fine Beth. Jus' go the fuck ta bed," He knew his words weren't particularly loud or sharp, and he knew that she would try to fight him on it, try to get her piece heard, so he added, "Please. Please Beth, jus' go."

He saw her turn and walk down the hallway to her bedroom, her back stiff with the attempt to lessen her painful movements. He should have offered to carry her.

She didn't look back.


	26. But I Ain't Done Much Healing

**A/N: You guys are absolutely wonderful! You're support always makes me smile!**

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Screaming. Someone was screaming.

Beth awoke with a start and looked around in the dark. She was alone in her bedroom, the soft blankets of her bed twisted around her legs, her hands fisted in the sheets next to her. She heard it again - the screaming. An echo of surprise made it's way across her thoughts as she realized it hadn't been _her_ screaming. She'd been dreaming of the Governor as he beat her, with Merle and Gorman looking on, the latter man licking his lips as watched her pain.

She climbed out of bed and threw open her door, the sound of it bouncing off the wall pierced the silence of the dark apartment. She moved quickly down the hallway, towards the living room where she knew Daryl to be. Belatedly it came to her that she should have grabbed some sort of weapon; she wasn't the best fighter, but her lessons with Daryl had given her a small bout of confidence that maybe she could help him if he was in danger.

As she made her way to the living room, she spotted Daryl on the couch. The room was dark, but the moonlight shining through the windows cut across his figure. He was curled up as small as she imagined Daryl could get, his hands clenched in tight fists next to his face. He was making small noises through his clenched teeth; they gradually became louder as she watched him, his mouth finally opening to release a scream that stirred her from the spot where she had frozen. She rushed to his side and leaned over him, grasping both his wrists in an attempt to pull them away from his head.

"Daryl!" she called in a loud whisper. "Daryl, wake up!"

He woke upon hearing her voice, but his eyes remained unfocused. He launched himself off the couch and knocked her to the floor, landing his full weight on top of her. She let out a small shriek of her own, but it was cut off as she hit the ground, her breath effectively knocked out of her.

She gasped as Daryl pinned her beneath him. "Daryl!" she choked out. "Daryl, it's me! It's Beth!"

It was like a light had been switched on in him; his eyes widened and he drew back from her in an instant. He crouched in front of her, his hands out in front of him like he didn't know what to do with them. "Beth?" his voice was quiet as he took her in. "Beth! Fuck!" he looked panicked as he seemed to realize what he had done.

Beth sat up so that she was closer to where he was crouched, prone in front of her. "Daryl," she gasped, still trying to regain her breath. "Are you ok?"

He looked at her like she'd lost her mind. " _Me_? You're fucking asking _me_ if I'm ok? After I just... Jesus Beth."

"You were screaming, Daryl," she whispered softly.

Daryl looked away. "Was nothin'. Don' worry 'bout it none," he muttered, rising to a stand.

"It wasn't nothin'. Were you dreaming?" she stood to face him, but he continued to refuse to meet her gaze.

"Told you it was nothin' girl," he snapped. "Go back to bed." Daryl turned to make his way back to the couch.

Beth forced herself not to roll her eyes at his back. He obviously wasn't going to budge on this, not tonight. She wanted to help him, any way she could. Even if his stubborn ass wasn't going to accept it.

"Daryl, why don't you come sleep in my room?"

His head whipped around so fast it was almost comical. Beth didn't know where the suggestion had come from. But it was out there now, she couldn't take it back. "With me," she added hastily.

Daryl shook his head, a furrow forming between his brows, and continued to remake his bed on the couch. When he didn't say anything more, Beth stepped towards him and placed her hand on his arm.

"Why not?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"Ain' no need," he grumbled as he shook out his blanket and shook off her touch in one motion.

"I need it."

Daryl stopped what he was doing, standing straight-backed without turning to face her. She could see the tension in him, practically vibrating across his shoulders. She had started down this path with the intention of helping _him_ , this man who had carried her out of the Governor's arena, who's voice she had heard above the cheers of the crowd who were calling for her pain. This man had wanted to save her, and in turn she knew that she wanted to save him now. As she rolled these thoughts over in her head, she realized that she wasn't lying to Daryl. She did need him. She needed him to stay close to her. She wanted his protection, yes. More than that though, she wanted his presence. It struck her how close she'd gotten with this man over the last few weeks, stuck with his surly self in their little apartment. However, below all that, he was kind. He made her laugh, and he seemed to care at least a little bit about her. And although she tried to banish the thoughts from her mind and scolded herself for even thinking about it right now, the memory of feeling of his weight on top of her brought a blush to her face in the darkness.

Beth saw him incline his head – a small nod in the darkness, the only acquiescence she was going to get from him tonight.

"Thank you," she murmured. She could live with Daryl believing that her warmth was only for her own sake and not his own. She knew that if Daryl was inclined to do anything for her, for his family, it would be to provide for them. If he believed that she needed him to make sure she was safe throughout the night, then he would be there for her. And maybe, just maybe she could get him to see that he may need her to keep him safe as well.

Daryl grunted and picked up his blanket and pillow from the couch, falling in step behind Beth as she turned to head back to the bedroom. His footsteps echoed in the silent hallway, she took comfort in knowing that he was at her back; he hadn't run away from her.

Beth climbed into her bed, curling up in the spot she'd vacated when she had gone to check on Daryl. Daryl, who was currently looming in her doorway; she could see him shifting his weight back and forth at the threshold to her room.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice sounding too loud in her ears.

"Don' feel right," he grumbled. "Ain't my place ta be in yer room."

This time Beth did roll her eyes. "What? Are you afraid of a girl?" she scoffed at him.

She could hear his sharp intake of breath and could imagine the way he was probably narrowing his eyes at her, all meanness and malice behind his gaze. The darkness made her braver with him, made it feel safe to tease. If she could actually see those hard blue eyes glaring at her, she probably would be inclined to keep her sass to herself.

"Ain' afraid of nothin'," he bit out, and Beth couldn't fight the smirk she felt form on her lips.

She imagined that he must have straightened his shoulders and she heard him take in a deep breath before his heavy footfalls crossed into the bedroom. She heard him walk around to the foot of the bed and pause before saying, "Wan' me ta get a chair from the living room?"

"No," she answered, "I want you to sleep next to me."

"Ain' gonna happen."

"Yes, it is," Beth countered.

"Nope."

"Thought you weren't afraid of me?" she provoked once again.

"Beth...," he protested.

"I still think you're scared of a girl," she replied flatly.

She heard him muttered a string of words under his breath, she caught, "Jesus Christ," and, "God damn it," but he continued walking around the bed. Daryl climbed in to the empty space beside her, laying his large body on top of the blankets. She felt him settle next to her, carefully maintaining the space between them as he formed his pillow the way he wanted it and laid his own blanket out across his legs.

Beth had never lain in bed with a man before – not like this. On the road she'd shared sleeping space with the others, not caring much whether it was Carol or Rick or Maggie that she'd curled up next to. They were never alone, the weight of implication never hanging in the air the way it did in this moment. The quiet stretched between them, and Beth wondered if he could hear the beating of her heart. She could feel it pounding hard against her ribs, and she worried what Daryl would think even as she questioned her own body's response to his closeness.

"Ain' afraid of you." Daryl's voice was quiet and low, but all the earlier sharpness had ebbed away.

"I ain't afraid of you either," Beth answered softly. The newness of his presence in her bedroom allowed her to easily pick up on the shadows of his face in the darkness. He was staring resolutely at the ceiling above him, the hand that rested between them was clenched, toying with the edge of his blanket. He looked pained, and Beth could feel his discomfort radiating off him in palpable waves, and she felt her heart break just a little for this man.

She lifted herself on to her elbow and scooted herself across the space that separated them. Beth leaned in and brought her lips to Daryl's cheek, and whispering, "Goodnight Daryl," before kissing the warm skin of his face. She gave him a half smile, that she was almost sure he could see, and slid back into the space next to him on the bed, curling up on her side and letting her forehead rest lightly on Daryl's shoulder before drifting off to sleep.


	27. Beneath the Curse of My Lover's Eyes

**A/N: Oh you wonderful lovely people. I love this community so much! Your support always makes me smile like an idiot every time I get a notification about this story. I've had a rough couple of months health-wise, and I'm so relieved to have had the chance to write out this little chapter for y'all. Its a liiiiitttttle bit of a cliff hanger, please don't hate me.**

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Beth felt warmer than she should have. It was a heat that she couldn't remember having felt before. It felt like the sun was coating her skin at the peak of the day; it felt like the kiss of flames when she sat too close to a bonfire. As she slowly came to consciousness she realized there was a weight that came with the heat; it spread from her chest to her toes, pinning her to the bed. She experienced a moment of confusion, and the understanding that perhaps she should have been more panicked, and finally her mind circled back to why she in fact, was not frightened.

Daryl.

She was pinned to her bed by Daryl's hot, heavy, and very much unconscious body. Beth opened her eyes cautiously, as though the slight movement would cause her bedmate to stir. She was on her back, her face tilted down towards her left shoulder. As she exhaled, her breathe caught the ends of Daryl's dark hair and she was able to take in how he rested next to her. His head was nestled just under the crook of her shoulder, and it seemed as though he'd pulled himself almost on top of her during the night. One of his legs was thrown over both of her own, his arm lay across her waist, and his body was angled so that he was pulling her tightly against the length of him. His fingers twitched as he slept, the tips of them digging slightly into the sensitive skin under her breast. Beth felt herself tense and fought the urge to gasp at the unfamiliar sensation of another person's hands on her body. She didn't want to wake Daryl, and when he didn't stir she let out a slow breath of relief. The feeling of Daryl's soft breath on her chest was hypnotizing. She doubted many people got to see Daryl this way - all his hard lines and tension seemed to slip away when he was asleep. He was still silent though, still the Daryl who would never attract attention to himself. The muscles in his arms moved every so often and Beth held the urge in check to run her hand down them, smoothing away his tension and chasing away the nightmares that brought him to her bed.

She felt the moment he woke up, the immediate tautness in his body caused a pang of regret to echo through her chest - she didn't want this to end. She didn't want Daryl to leave her bed. She wanted to trace his arms with her finger tips and run her hands through his hair and settle under his weight while he breathed in and out against her collarbones. She couldn't stop him from pulling away though, she knew he'd run if she told him any of this. He angled his head so he could look up at her, confusion and sleep clouded his face, bringing a small smile to the corners of Beth's mouth.

"Beth?" His voice sounded like rough earth and it stirred at something deep inside her, something she hadn't really known was there until this instant. Something that she was pretty darn sure she'd never be able to tuck away again after this moment.

"Daryl," her own voice was quiet and uneven now. "Hey," she finished quietly.

"Mmmph," he grunted in response. Beth watched his awareness return to him, saw the concern creep over his face when he realized how their bodies were tangled. "M'sorry if I'm hurtin' ya," he mumbled.

But he didn't move.

"You're not," she stated. She hoped her tone brokered no room for argument. She didn't want him to talk himself into moving away from her. "You feel nice, actually."

She could see color blossom on his neck and work its way upward. "Shouldn't say stuff like that, girl," he admonished her quietly.

"Why? It's the truth, ain't no reason to lie," she whispered back. She lifted a hand to let it rest softly on his arm.

His eyes widened and moved quickly back and forth to take in her whole face. She felt his breathing pick up and feared he was about to push himself off her and across the room. She lifted her other hand and brought it within his line of sight. "Its ok, Daryl," she murmured and ran her fingers through the hair that hung down in front of his eyes. He closed his eyes and swallowed down in what looked like pain. She hummed out a low sound, a contented noise that worked to comfort him, reassure him of her want for him to remain where he was, as she continued to slide her fingers through his hair.

When he opened his eyes again, Beth was struck with the sudden urge to kiss him. Though what was even more startling to her was that she was almost certain he would have let her. He might even have kissed her back. Was it really so sudden? How long had she thought this man was handsome? Now she got to see that who he was inside matched his looks. He was dangerous and rough, ornery and sarcastic, but Lord Almighty did this man care.

He cared about _her_.

Sometimes she thought perhaps he cared for her most of all.

She knew she was staring at his mouth, taking in the shape of his lips and in turn she became aware of the pounding of her own heart. Her gaze flitted back up to Daryl's eyes and she saw that he was looking down at her mouth as well. She flicked her tongue out to wet her bottom lip and Daryl's eyes snapped back up to meet hers.

 _Man up, Greene_.

Beth pushed across the small space separating them and placed her lips against Daryl's.


	28. Kiss Me Like You Wanna Be Loved

**A/N: I was feeling guilty/generous after that horrible cliffhanger I left you guys with and just had to see this scene through. Hope you guys like it! xoxo**

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Daryl didn't remember a lot of the big moments in his life. He didn't know who his first crush was; he didn't remember learning to drive. He never took a girl on a date; he wasn't sure of his first kiss. He sure as fuck didn't remember the first time he got laid. He knew for a fact that the only semblance of love he'd ever felt for someone of the opposite sex had been fleeting affection for his mother when she was half-coherent and would dance around their decrepit kitchen to Elvis Presley and coax Daryl to sing an occasional chorus along with her. All of those things were blurry when he tried to look back on them; half-memories in the fading light of day that he could never really bring into focus.

But this moment - by everything that made him a man, Daryl Dixon swore that he would remember each and every thing about this moment here with Beth until the day he died. She was so much braver than he'd ever be. _She_ kissed him. This tiny fearless woman who by some grace of some god had pulled him into her bed and said she actually enjoyed the weight of him covering her. When he had woken up and realized he was half on top of the poor girl he'd been ready to feed himself to the first available walker; pile that on top of the embarrassment he'd felt when she'd roused him from a nightmare only to be pounced on by his sorry ass, he felt that he'd just about hit his limit. But she hadn't shied from him. She touched him. Her soft hand had rested on his arm and its warmth spread through his chest and down to his belly. He felt his heart skip a beat when her fingers moved his hair out of his eyes; he was close enough that he could see the freckles that dotted the skin across her nose and the dusting of acne scars by her left ear. He could feel her ribs poking into his chest with every deep breath she took and her sharp hip bone rubbed against his stomach when she shifted. Her blonde curls were everywhere and her eyes were still slightly red from crying the day before.

She was real. She was stunning. She was everything. And she kissed him.

It took him a moment to process what had happened before he reacted. Her lips were soft and warm and she felt like the sun and warm sheets and laying in the grass on a spring day. She was comfort and joy and fear all wrapped up into everything he had ever sought and more.

She had started to pull away when he finally wrestled himself free of his own head. He surged forward to close the gap between them and pressed his lips against hers. She made a small noise of surprise followed quickly by a quiet moan that woke something in him; he wanted to chase that noise down and get her to make it over and over again while he kissed her until her toes curled and they both ran out of breath. Her hand came up to grip the hair at the nape of his neck and he made a sound he didn't even recognize as his own; he wanted to give her every whimper and growl and groan he was capable of making, and discover whatever else lay dormant inside of him.

 _Beth_.

She tentatively ran her tongue along his lower lip and he thought he might just die right there. He opened to her, letting her explore his mouth with her own. Her tongue was hot and she tasted like honey and roses and candle light. He felt her smile against his mouth and realized he may have said some of those sentiments out loud. But she kept kissing him. She didn't pull away or laugh at him. So he kissed her back and felt the vibration of her soft whimper echo down his throat.

He stroked the curve of her hip with his thumb as he gripped the dip of her waist. She was so small, but he could feel the hard muscle of her stomach against his hand. He allowed himself to explore her mouth, his tongue feeling the sharpness of her teeth and the heat of her breath mingling with his. His hand had drifted to her lower back and he pulled her in towards him, craving the feeling of her body against his.

"Ah!" Beth's sharp cry startled him enough that he loosened his grip on her and pushed himself back away from her.

"M'sorry! M'sorry," he immediately reacted, his hands hovering over her body.

"No!" she cried, desperation seeping into her tone as she reached for his hands. "No, no Daryl, please don't stop."

"Ya didn' jus' yell out fer no reason girl," Daryl countered. He ran his eyes down her form and caught her wince as she tried to sit up and reach for him again.

She forced a small smile, replying, "It coulda been a good yell."

She smirked when he narrowed his eyes at her. "'Less my capabilities in bed have vastly improved since the last time I did this, 'm goin' ta guess ya ain't hollerin' out fer a good reason at the moment."

She couldn't hold back a chuckle at his words. _Oh, my Beth_.

"It's just...um...my back," she bit out as she shifted her weight to find a comfortable position.

"Fuck! Jesus Beth 'm sorry," he stumbled over his own words, which were nothing compared to the dressing down he was giving himself in his own head.

"Oh my gosh Daryl! Do _not_ apologize! I kissed you! I just twisted funny is all, it doesn't hurt much I swear!" She made another grab for his hands while she spoke.

"Lemme see."

"What? No I will not. I told you its nothin'," her incredulous tone mixed with a nervous chuckle she couldn't seem to hold back.

Daryl pushed himself further down to the end of the bed and out of her reach. "Turn. Now," he stated simply, moving his finger in a swirling motion between them.

She huffed out a breath but didn't move to let him see her injury.

"If ya don' do it yerself, I will pick ya up myself girl."

"Ugggggghhhhhh!" she half hollered, but she turned her back to him and laid down on her stomach on the bed in front of him.

"Yes, poor put-upon-Greene," he muttered as he leaned over her stretched out figure. He tried real hard to focus on the task at hand, he really did. He pulled the soft material of Beth's t-shirt up, exposing the pale skin of her lower back and the flare of her hips. Daryl felt himself actually swallow a lump in his throat like some foolish teenage boy who'd never seen a girl before. Christ, he sure as fuck was acting like one. The worn lace of her bra made his dick twitch and he had to actively avoid running his fingertips along the skin it framed. The red marks made by the switch on her upper back were fading well-enough, and the lines from the belt were on their way to bruising over, but there was one cut that worried him. An angry red score made its way from the top of one shoulder blade to the bottom of another. It had bled along the top half of the cut, dried blood came off with Beth's shirt. The anger he'd felt yesterday returned, but the panic he'd been fearing remained at bay. He wanted to heal these wounds for her, not run from his own.

"Gotta wash this one here," he said quietly, placing one finger lightly at the top of the worst one. "'S angry 'nough it could get infected we aren' careful."

She let out a shuddering breath and nodded her head in response. Daryl leaned back and sat on the edge of the bed so she could push herself to stand. She stood near him, her head cocked to the side like she wanted to ask a question. "Go take a shower," he said quietly before she could say whatever was on her mind. "I'll make ya a cup of coffee fer when yer done," he gave her a small smile of encouragement to get her moving. "Go on now girl."

She looked reluctant to leave him, or at least he hoped she did. She walked around the bed, letting her hand brush against his leg as she moved by him and he felt his breath catch in his chest. She looked back at him over her shoulder, shooting him a grin before leaving the room.

When he heard the shower start down the hall, Daryl let himself fall back on the bed and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes. He groaned, realizing that he was well and truly fucked now.


End file.
